Home Office

Windrush Compensation Scheme

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the 2023-24 Windrush community engagement grant fund will be allocated.

Robert Jenrick: Required administrative processes to launch a £150,000 Community Engagement Fund for the financial year 2023-24 are in train and the aim is to start the competition for bids as soon as possible.

Visas: Fees And Charges

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the affordability of the cost of visas.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office keeps fees for immigration and nationality applications under review. Where we make fee changes in legislation, an Impact Assessment is published. The Home Office provides fee waivers in a number of circumstances. This includes a waiver for those making Article 8 claims, based on Family and Private life, who are unable to afford the fee or where payment of the fee would leave them unable to meet the needs of a child who is dependent upon them.

Visas

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to prevent agencies block-booking visa appointments.

Robert Jenrick: As part of the visa application process, customers overseas are invited to book an appointment to attend a Visa Application Centre (VAC) operated by commercial partners, VFS or TLScontact, on behalf of UKVI.To prevent appointments being block-booked by agents, commercial partners release appointments in stages, rather than in large batches, and vary the dates and times at which appointments become available so agents cannot anticipate release.

Immigration

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of people who are expected to apply for indefinite leave to remain after completing the 10-year route based on their family or private life in the next five years.

Robert Jenrick: The data requested is not available in a reportable format.

Immigration

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of people who are expected to apply for indefinite leave to remain after completing the 10-year route based on their family or private life in the next five years.

Robert Jenrick: The data requested is not available in a reportable format.

Immigration

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people are waiting for the outcome of an application for further leave to remain; and how many and what proportion of those people have limited leave to remain on the 10-year route to settlement on the basis of their family or private lives.

Robert Jenrick: We do not currently hold any information regarding the proportion of these people who might have limited leave to remain in the UK and are consequently awaiting a decision on a visa extension application are on the ten-year route to settlement.

Immigration: Applications

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of people currently waiting for the outcome of an application for further leave to remain; and if she will make an estimate of the proportion of those people who have limited leave to remain on the 10-year route to settlement on the basis of their family or private lives.

Robert Jenrick: We do not currently hold any information regarding the proportion of these people who might have limited leave to remain in the UK and are consequently awaiting a decision on a visa extension application are on the ten-year route to settlement.

Biometric Residence Permits

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of Biometric Residence Permits issued in January 2023 have been subsequently reissued to correct errors in visa conditions.

Robert Jenrick: The information is not available publicly and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Seasonal Workers

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many memorandums of understanding her Department has agreed with countries on the Seasonal Worker scheme.

Robert Jenrick: The Government has agreed no memorandums of understanding with other countries concerning the Seasonal Worker route.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the definition of a child under the EU Settlement Scheme to include US Special Guardianship Orders.

Robert Jenrick: We keep the scope of the Immigration Rules for the EU Settlement Scheme under review, including in light of representations from stakeholders. However, we have received no such representations where US special guardianship orders are concerned and their status in the UK is not a matter for the Immigration Rules.

Dual Nationality

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any exceptions are made for dual nationals requiring an observation on their British passport if their second nationality could risk their safety when travelling abroad.

Robert Jenrick: There are exceptions in place to ensure the safety of those holding dual nationality when travelling due to the content of an observation. This may involve issuing an additional passport with restricted validity without including an observation. This is outlined in in published guidance on GOV.UK at Names: aligning names on foreign documents (accessible) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Asylum: Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Oral Statement of 29 March 2023 by the Minister for Immigration on Illegal Migration Update, Official Report, column 1018, how long she plans to use military sites to house asylum claimants.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office are assessing how long asylum seekers will be accommodated at the proposed sites.

Asylum: Housing

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of using Kinnegar Logistics Base in Holywood for housing asylum seekers.

Robert Jenrick: We do not comment on individual sites. The Home Office is assessing all suitable options for accommodation.

Immigration: Applications

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of (a) the number of people waiting for the outcome of an application for further leave to remain and (b) the proportion of those people who have limited leave to remain on the 10-year route to settlement on the basis of their family or private lives.

Robert Jenrick: We do not currently hold any information regarding the proportion of these people who might have limited leave to remain in the UK and are consequently awaiting a decision on a visa extension application are on the ten-year route to settlement.

Immigration

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people are waiting for the outcome of an application for further leave to remain; and how many and what proportion of those people have limited leave to remain on the 10-year route to settlement on the basis of their family or private lives.

Robert Jenrick: We do not currently hold any information regarding the proportion of these people who might have limited leave to remain in the UK and are consequently awaiting a decision on a visa extension application are on the ten-year route to settlement.

Visas: Sudan

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has updated country advice for visa decision makers for applications from Sudanese nationals following the recent outbreak of conflict in that country.

Robert Jenrick: We are monitoring the situation in Sudan carefully.New or updated country specific advice for asylum decision makers will be based on the usual process.

Biometric Residence Permits

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people who will be issued with biometric residence permit cards expiring on 31 December 2024.

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department has spent on a newly designed Biometric residence permit card to date.

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the new fines for failing to return expired BRP cards on return rates.

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many officials her Department plans to have working on the new Biometric residence permits system.

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many officials her Department plans to dedicate to processing expired Biometric residence permits cards in 2025.

Robert Jenrick: We have been assessing the number of people who will have BRPs that expire at the end 2024 and who will have leave extending beyond that date, however, this data is not yet available. We are making plans to enable these people to transition to an eVisa before the end of 2024. More information on how to do this will be made available on gov.uk later this year.Our aim is to fully transition to eVisas by the end of 2024 and for this reason we are no longer issuing BRPs with an expiry date after 2024, even when the person’s permission will expire after that date, nor are we redesigning physical BRPs or introducing new fines associated with them.The BRP system forms part of our wider immigration and border system and is supported by officials across the department. In most circumstances, holders of current BRPs are expected to return them to UKVI when they make a new application or when their BRP has expired.The “Code of practice about the sanctions for non-compliance with the biometric registration regulations” sets out the rules which govern the issuance of civil penalties. Where a holder of a biometric immigration document such as a BRP fails to comply with one of the requirements of the regulations, we may issue them with a civil financial penalty but are not required to do so.Once we cease issuing BRPs and existing ones have expired and been removed from circulation, there will be no further BRPs issued, and they will have no extant use.We keep resourcing under regular review to ensure we have the staff in place to deliver and support the transition from physical to digital proof of status.

Asylum: Finance

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to page 96 of the Central Government Supply Estimates 2022-23: Supplementary Estimates, published on 21 February 2023, how the additional £1,614,856,000 for asylum support costs was spent.

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to page 96 of the Central Government Supply Estimates 2022-23: Supplementary Estimates, published on 21 February 2023, how the additional £116,000,000 funding to tackle illegal immigration was spent.

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to page 96 of the Central Government Supply Estimates 2022-23: Supplementary Estimates, published on 21 February 2023, how the additional £334,820,000 funding to tackle illegal immigration was spent.

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to page 101 of the Central Government Supply Estimates 2021-22: Supplementary Estimates, published on 22 February 2022, how the additional £404,116,000 funding for asylum support was spent.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office does not routinely publish data breaking down the additional expenditure spent on asylum support or illegal migration.Home Office expenditure is detailed in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, with the most recent Annual Report and Accounts for 2021 to 2022 published on 14 July 2022 and available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-annual-report-and-accounts-2021-to-2022.

Asylum: Housing

Dame Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to house asylum seekers on a boat in the River Mersey at Wirral Waters.

Robert Jenrick: We do not routinely comment on individual sites or proposals that may or may not be used for asylum accommodation.

Fraud

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department expects to publish its fraud strategy.

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that online platforms and telecoms companies improve fraud prevention.

Tom Tugendhat: The Home Office will shortly be publishing a new strategy to address the threat of fraud.This Government is committed to doing everything we can to stop criminals abusing telecommunications networks and online platforms for fraud. That is why in October 2021, we launched the Telecommunications Fraud Sector Charter which includes actions to block scam calls and smishing texts. Fraud has also been brought into scope of the Online Safety Bill to make tech firms responsible for protecting their customers from fraud. Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) is also leading work on the Online Advertising Programme, which is considering further regulation of online advertising and examining all harms related to online advertising, including fraud.We also intend to launch an Online Fraud Sector Charter that will examine more ways Government and industry can collaborate and put in place further innovative solutions to protect the public from losing their hard-earned money.

Undocumented Migrants: Expenditure

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to page 95 of the Central Government Supply Estimates 2022-23: Supplementary Estimates, published on 21 February 2023, how the additional £269,000,000 funding to tackle illegal immigration was spent.

Robert Jenrick: Funding drawn down to cover illegal migration spend across the illegal migration portfolio was used for both: a range of measures announced during the financial year 22/23; and additional asylum support costs. The £269,000,000 referenced was principally used for two areas: the Migration and Economic Development Partnership (MEDP) with Rwanda Factsheet: Migration and Economic Development Partnership - Home Office in the media (blog.gov.uk); and to cover increasing asylum support costs.Asylum Support costs represent spending to meet our statutory obligations for providing support to destitute asylum seekers in the UK, which includes the provision of accommodation, transportation, and support services to the Supported Population. We also fund Local Authorities for their costs incurred in supporting Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children & Care Leavers.

Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme

Simon Fell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which projects received funding from the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme top slice in the 2021-22 financial year; what each of these projects were intended to do; how much funding each project received; what recent progress each project has made against its objectives; and if she will make an assessment of the impact of each project on levels of further asset recovery.

Tom Tugendhat: In the financial year 2021-22 there were 16 Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme Top Slice projects. The performance of these projects is governed by the Strategic Asset Recovery Group.The most recent public update on use of ARIS funding by POCA partners is available at: Asset recovery statistical bulletin: financial years ending 2017 to 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). We are currently exploring options for providing a further public breakdown of this data.

Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme

Simon Fell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the rates of return on investment of asset recovery projects that received funding through the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme top slice in the 2021-22 financial year.

Tom Tugendhat: The projects funded through the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS) Top Slice scheme continue to offer positive returns in terms of recovered criminal assets.This includes significant cash and asset seizures by operational teams funded by the Top Slice, at the Border and across national policing.Since not all projects funded through the Top Slice are directly targeted against asset recovery, the Home Office does not conduct an investment return analysis on each one. In the 21/22 HMG/ law enforcement seized £354.8 million of criminal assets (up £135.1 million from 20/21).

Refugees: Ukraine

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of extending access to the Ukraine Family Scheme to Ukrainians who have settled in the UK under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.

Robert Jenrick: As of 21 February 2023, the UK has granted a total of 219,400 visas under its Ukraine schemes. Of these, 66,100 were under the Ukraine Family Scheme and 153,300 were under the Home for Ukraine scheme.The Ukraine Family Scheme allows a UK based sponsor who is a British citizen, settled in the UK, has protection status or limited leave to remain under the EUSS, to bring close family members, extended family members and close family members of those extended family members, to the UK. Those arriving in the UK must be Ukrainian or the family member of a Ukrainian.The Homes for Ukraine Scheme provides for those Ukrainians and their family members seeking to enter the UK but who do not have family members to sponsor them under the Ukraine Family Scheme. This scheme allows individuals and organisations in the UK to sponsor applicants to come to the UK and to provide them with accommodation.Both the Homes for Ukraine Scheme and the Ukraine Family Scheme are temporary and provide applicants with leave to enter or remain in the UK for three years. They also provide access to work, benefits, education, English language tutoring and services, including those provided by Local Authorities.There are no current plans to extend the list of those eligible to sponsor or apply under these schemes, however we continue to keep all schemes under review.

Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme

Simon Fell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of projects funded by the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme top slice in the 2021-22 financial year on levels of further asset recovery.

Tom Tugendhat: The performance of the projects funded through the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS) Top Slice scheme are governed by the Strategic Asset Recovery Group.This creates a more transparent approach with agency level to ensure accountability, celebrate success, drive best practice, identify barriers, reassure communities and discourage those considering a criminal lifestyle.We continue to fund critical capabilities through ARIS Top Slice, having nearly doubled investments made in 21/22 (from £7.5m to £13.9m, in 2021/22) with a renewed focus on work to seize criminal cash and crypto assets.

Asylum: Housing

Dame Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had recent discussions with Peel Ports on the potential housing of asylum seekers on a boat at its Wirral Waters development.

Robert Jenrick: We do not routinely comment on individual sites or proposals that may or may not be used for asylum accommodation.

Economic Crime

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she will take to measure the impact of the Economic Crime Plan 2 on economic crime.

Tom Tugendhat: The government is committed to tracking and measuring the progress and impact of the Plan and our approach to this is set out as part of Action 43 in the recently published Economic Crime Plan 2. As outlined in the Plan, we are developing an outcomes framework, as part of a wider performance monitoring approach to enable us to provide a consistent focus on the outcomes set out in the Plan.This will help us track and measure progress and performance across the system, and assess progress from the delivery of the actions to the ultimate impacts we are having. Our approach will also include working closely with experts and stakeholders to explore opportunities to access new data to help refine and develop our performance indicators. The Data Annex, published alongside ECP2, is the first step towards achieving our longer-term goals regarding performance and impact measurement.

Visas: ICT

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many IT issues were recorded by visa application processing teams in her Department in the last (a) six months, (b) 12 months and (c) five years; and how many visa applications were affected by these IT issues.

Robert Jenrick: The information requested could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

Aviation: Immigration Controls

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of to Question 176575 on Aviation: Immigration Controls, what were the UK regional differences in the submission of General Aviation Reports for (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.

Tom Tugendhat: Home Office records show that approximately 87,975 General Aviation Reports (GARs) have been submitted in the UK in 2022.England – 80,553Scotland – 4,512Wales – 1,639Northern Ireland – 1,271

Biometric Residence Permits

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that errors on biometric residence permits are not replicated on (a) travel documents and (b) driving licences.

Robert Jenrick: We strive to continuously improve our decision-making quality across all Immigration routes to minimise any potential errors. Where we are notified of an error on a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) we aim to correct the BRP within 5 working days to minimise inconvenience to the customer and prevent errors being replicated on a) travel documents and b) driving licences.

Immigration: Applications

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a fee waiver for applications for indefinite leave to remain.

Robert Jenrick: The right to stay indefinitely is one of the most valuable entitlements offered for those seeking to enter or remain in the UK, and it is right that the fee should be higher than most for migrants staying temporarily in the UK.A grant of indefinite leave to remain is not necessary to enable people to remain in the UK on the basis of their Article 8 or other ECHR rights, as these can be met through a grant of limited leave to remain. The provision of an affordability-based waiver for limited leave on family and private life routes allows an individual or family to remain here lawfully, and to then apply for settlement and pay the fee when the funds become available. As such, there are no plans to waive the fee for indefinite leave to remain.

Asylum: Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Oral Statement of 29 March 2023 by the Minister for Immigration, on Illegal Migration Update, Official Report, column 1018, what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) current and (b) former service accommodation with (i) mould and (ii) damp issues is not used to house asylum claimants.

Robert Jenrick: As will all asylum accommodation, the Home Office will ensure that all accommodation is safe, habitable, fit for purpose and meets all regulatory requirements.

Visas: Journalism

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the viability of a pilot emergency visa scheme for journalists whose lives are under threat from authoritarian governments.

Robert Jenrick: A person can already apply to come to the United Kingdom under the "representative of an overseas business" route if they are an employee of an overseas newspaper, news agency or broadcasting organisation posted on a long-term assignment to the UK.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's data entitled Factsheet: Small boat crossings since July 2022, published 2 November 2022, how many of the Albanian nationals who crossed the English Channel in small boats from May to September 2022 have since returned to Albania.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office publishes data on returns by nationality in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on returns of Albanian nationals are published in table Ret_D01 of the ‘Returns detailed datasets’.Please note this data relates to all returns, not just returns of individuals who arrived via small boat. Data on the method of arrival of people returned is not published.Further information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks. The latest data relates to the end of September 2022.

Asylum: Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Oral Statement of 29 March 2023 by the Minister for Immigration, on Illegal Migration Update, Official Report, column 1018, when she plans that asylum seekers will move into each military base in (a) Essex, (b) Lincolnshire, (c) East Sussex and (d) Catterick.

Robert Jenrick: We continue to work with our providers and partners to develop timescales for all sites as soon as possible. This will include engaging timescales through multi-agency forums, bringing together key stakeholders such as Local Authorities, police, health and other partners.

Police National Computer: Cybersecurity

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she first became aware of the cyber security incident affecting the ACRO website.

Tom Tugendhat: ACRO first made Home Office officials aware of the incident on 28th March 2023. The Home Secretary’s office was informed the same day.

Illegal Migration Bill: Legal Opinion

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which individuals have provided external legal advice to the Government on the Illegal Migration Bill.

Robert Jenrick: Any legal advice received by the Home Office is subject to legal professional privilege and, as such, we do not comment on legal advice that may or may not have been sought or received.

Ernest Moret

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Metropolitan Police on the arrest of French publisherErnest Moret in London; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Tugendhat: The Secretary of State for the Home Department does not comment on operational decisions made by the police. This would undermine the principle that the police are independent of government and are free to conduct their operations without political influence.By way of general background, under Schedule 7 to the Terrorism Act 2000 Counter-Terrorism Police Officers are able to stop, question and if necessary, detain and search individuals travelling through UK ports, to determine whether they appear to be someone who is or has been involved in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.Parliament enacted Schedule 7 on the basis that its exercise is necessary and proportionate to secure the legitimate end of ensuring public safety and national security.The powers are subject to independent oversight by the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation whose annual reports are laid before Parliament.

Electronic Cigarettes: Imports

Ben Everitt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions Border Force has had with Trading Standards on tackling the importation of illegal e-cigarette devices.

Robert Jenrick: Building on an already close relationship, Border Force is working with Trading Standards at a number of locations around the UK, agreeing processes and ways of working that help ensure illegal e-cigarettes are prevented from entering the UK.

Crime: Victims

Dean Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that victims of crime (a) feel confident and (b) are supported when reporting crimes to the police.

Chris Philp: Protecting victims and improving their experience and the support they receive is a key priority for the Government.All police forces must comply with the Victims Code which sets out the services and minimum standards all victims have a right to receive. Police and Crime Commissioners have a legal duty to consult with victims in setting the policing priorities in their area and to hold the Chief Constable of the police in their area to account, and are responsible for commissioning many of the victim support services.The introduction of the Victims and Prisoners Bill 2023 will strengthen victims’ experiences of the criminal justice system and will make sure that victims of crime are properly supported.Government has committed to publishing national and local Criminal Justice System (CJS) Delivery Data Dashboard (formally called CJS scorecards) which bring together data from across the system to increase transparency, understanding of the justice system, and support collaboration.The Home Office is also investing in a new Victim Satisfaction Survey to drive improvements in the support police forces provide to victims, and gain new insights into why victims withhold or withdraw support for investigations.

Knives: Retail Trade

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of encouraging retailers who sell knives to store them behind shop counters.

Chris Philp: In 2016 we introduced a voluntary agreement with retailers on the responsible sale of knives. The agreement required retailers to apply their existing policies for age-restricted sales, such as ‘Think 21’ or ‘Think 25’ to ensure age verification checks take place, so that knives will only be sold (or supplied) where the retailer is satisfied that the customer is aged 18 or over. Action is to be taken in-store and online to remind customers and staff that knives are, by law, age-restricted products.The agreement was revised following the passing of the Offensive Weapons Act 2019, which received Royal Assent in May 2019. During the passage of the legislation through Parliament concerns were expressed about the display of knives and the revised agreement addresses those concerns.Retailers will ensure knives are displayed and packaged securely as appropriate to minimise risk. This will include retailers taking practical and proportionate steps to restrict accessibility and avoid immediate use, to reduce the possibility of injury, and to prevent theft. Additionally, where local police identify an issue or have evidence that stolen knives present a risk in the local area where the store is located, the local police, can request additional measures such as secure packaging and display solutions which are proportionate to the level of risk.Measures may include:Consideration of removing knives from display or keeping them away from public access in a safe and secure position.Displaying knives in a way that ensures that they cannot easily be stolen - for instance, by using approaches that require intervention from a member of staff in order to release the knife from secure display.Positioning knives in secure locations within the store and introducing improved arrangements for the safe display of kitchen knife blocks containing multiple knives in a box. This may require working with trade associations or manufacturers to improve packaging of such items or the introduction of dummy displays in-store.Details of the agreement may be viewed at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/sale-of-knives-voluntary-agreement-by-retailers .Finally, on 18 April we launched a 7-week consultation on new knife legislation proposals to tackle the use of machetes and other bladed articles in crime. We are consulting on legislative measures to provide the police with more tools to disrupt knife possession and tackle knife crime. The consultation is open to the public.

Biometric Residence Permits

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2023 to Question 165293 on Biometric Residence Permits: ICT, how many biometric resident permits were affected by this IT issue; and what recent estimate she has made of when these issues will be resolved.

Robert Jenrick: The information requested could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

Demonstrations

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to issue guidance on the new buffer zone provision in the Public Order Bill.

Chris Philp: Ahead of the commencement of the Public Order Bill, expected to be in Spring/Summer 2023, the College of Policing and the Crown Prosecution Service are updating relevant public order guidance and training to reflect the inclusion of the offence of interference with access to or provision of abortion services.

Offences against Children

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the ethnic characteristics of offenders of group based child sexual exploitation.

Miss Sarah Dines: Our understanding of the child sexual abuse threat is based on police data, including recorded crime data, and is informed by independent reviews into offending in local areas and wider research. In 2020 the Government published a paper on the characteristics of group-based child exploitation offenders setting out the best evidence on how they operate, ethnicity, age, offender networks, the context in which these crimes are committed and implications for national and local policy.We understand that it is essential for police and local authorities to have a good understanding of offender characteristics and the drivers of child sexual exploitation in their areas, so that they can uncover and tackle offending effectively. We are working closely with the police to drive up data quality and develop a better understanding of perpetrators, including through collecting higher quality data on the characteristics of offenders, including their ethnicity.Home Office funding provides a dedicated analyst, working on child sexual abuse and exploitation, in each of the ten policing Regional Organised Crime Units based in England and Wales, and through the new Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce, a Complex and Organised Child Abuse Database is being developed. This will strengthen what we know about the scale, risk and prevalence of child sexual exploitation. It will improve the collection of demographic data including ethnicity, age and relationships. Local forces will be able to draw on this information to assess the risk in their areas, and thereby better identify and disrupt grooming gangs.

Domestic Abuse: Solihull

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what financial support her Department provides to domestic abuse victims in Solihull to help them to leave abusive relationships.

Miss Sarah Dines: Domestic abuse is intolerable and sometimes fatal, yet it is far too common. It is high volume, high harm, and high cost. Our Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan published in March 2022 invests £140 million to support victims, including over £47 million in ringfenced funding for victims’ services over three years (up to 2025). Following a commitment in the plan, the Home Office is also working closely with Women’s Aid to provide £300,000 for one-off payments of £250 to victims of domestic abuse, rising to £500 where a victim is pregnant or has children. The funding has been granted to support victims to leave abusive relationships and will help victims to pay for essentials such as groceries, nappies, sanitary products and rent on their previous property whilst they are in a refuge, or it could be put towards a deposit on new accommodation when they leave a refuge. This will soon be available across the country through Women’s Aid members such as Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid and Panahghar, a service run by and for Black and minorities survivors in the Solihull area.  On 22 November, we commenced an open commercial competition (VAWG Specialist and Support Services Fund) for ‘by and for’ and specialist services. This will enable vital services, who are based in the communities they serve, to support victims often facing the greatest barriers to getting the help they need. Funding for the services will begin from 1st April 2023, totalling £8.4 million in financial years 2023/24 and 2024/25.

Radicalism

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to respond to the Commission for Countering Extremism report entitled Hateful Extremism and the Law, published February 2021.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Commission for Countering Extremism report entitled Hateful extremism and the law, published 2 July 2021, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing that report's recommendations on adopting a working definition of hateful extremism.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Commission for Countering Extremism report entitled Hateful extremism and the law, published 2 July 2021, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing that report's recommendations on incorporating specific references to incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence in criminal law.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Commission for Countering Extremism report entitled Hateful extremism and the law, published 2 July 2021, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing that report's recommendations on amending the wording and application of a Public Space Protection Order under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Commission for Countering Extremism report entitled Hateful extremism and the law, published 2 July 2021, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing that report's recommendation on establishing a coordinated and clear role for the police to act in cases of hateful extremism.

Chris Philp: The Government has carefully considered the recommendations from the previous Commissioner for Countering Extremism, and they have made a significant contribution to the Government’s thinking on the issue of tackling extremism.The Commission has played and continues to play a key role in the Government’s approach to counter-extremism by providing expert advice and scrutiny in this space.

Body Searches: Children

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the collection of data on the strip searching of children.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the consequences for her policies of the report Strip search of children in England and Wales – analysis by the Children’s Commissioner for England, published in March 2023.

Miss Sarah Dines: The Children’s Commissioners report raises several concerns which the Home Office is taking seriously. We are considering all recommendations made for the Home Office, including amendments to the PACE Codes of Practice. The IOPC are actively investigating several instances of children being strip-searched. Whilst we await their findings and recommendations, we are reviewing whether existing legislation, guidance, data collection and policies remain appropriate and will set out our plans in due course. The Home Office is taking steps to increase the transparency surrounding the use of strip search. This year, we have made the data collection mandatory for all forces, with increased data collection on strip search under stop and search powers, including the age and ethnicity of those searched. Detailed Police Custody data was published for the first time on 17 November 2022, including figures on the use of strip search in custody, covering age, gender and ethnicity of the person searched, the number of children detained overnight, and the number supported by an Appropriate Adult. We are working with forces and the NPCC to improve data collection in future years.

Police National Computer: Cybersecurity

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the ACRO website will resume service following the cyber security incident affecting that website.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any confidential data was compromised by the recent cyber incident affecting the ACRO website; and if she will make a statement.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average waiting time is for a National Criminal Record Deletion Application to be processed; and what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the ACRO cyber security incident on those average processing times.

Chris Philp: ACRO provides three main services to members of the public: Police Certificates, International Child Protection Certificates, and Subject Access / Record Deletion requests. All of these services continue to be offered to the public at this time with contact details for each product available from the existing URL. The website will be brought back online as soon as possible.At this time ACRO has no conclusive evidence that any personal data has been affected by the cyber security incident. There does not appear to be any potential risk to customers’ payment information or to the information / certificates that ACRO sent to individuals following their applications.The initial processing time for ACRO to process a Record Deletion application is currently between three and five working days. Applications are referred to the relevant police force which owns the data to make a decision on the application. Timings for these decisions are case-specific and dependent on the individual force.

Police: Crime Prevention

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the news story entitled Police given more time to focus on solving crimes and protecting public published by her Department on 13 April 2023, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed reporting changes on (a) trends in the level of crimes recorded and (b) the accuracy of recorded crime statistics.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the news story entitled Police given more time to focus on solving crimes and protecting public, published by her Department on 13 April 2023, if she will take steps to assess the impact of the proposed reporting changes on (a) trends in the level of crimes recorded and (b) the accuracy of recorded crime statistics.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the news story entitled Police given more time to focus on solving crimes and protecting public published by her Department on 13 April 2023, if she will take steps to ensure that (a) it will be possible to extract details of non-principal offences from individual incident records and (b) all reported crimes related to a single incident will be published in national statistics.

Chris Philp: The best measure of trends in crime experienced by the general public, according to the independent Office for National Statistics, is the Crime Survey for England and Wales which is unaffected by changes to the Home Office Counting Rules (HOCR) for recorded crime.The HOCR is a victim-based recording system and the changes return us to a position where when a victim reports several crimes to the police at the same time which were committed by the same offender only a “principal crime” is reported to the Home Office. The Police will continue to be expected to log the details of all relevant offences disclosed by the victim within the principal crime record. The Government continues to expect the Police to investigate all crimes reported to them regardless of the fact that many will not be reported to the Home Office, and this position remains unchanged.The changes in the HOCR will give a more accurate picture of police caseload and better hold them to account for their response.As well as reducing bureaucracy, the latest changes are designed to help provide a clearer picture of the actual levels of crime that are being reported to the police and to free up more of their time to support victims, pursue perpetrators and prioritise the investigation of crimes which matter most to the public.

Members: Correspondence

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Minister for Immigration plans to respond to the letter sent by the hon. Member for Enfield North on 31st March 2023 regarding visa arrangements to Turkey.

Robert Jenrick: I replied to the Honourable Member’s correspondence on 24 April.

Police: Recruitment

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department have made on improving (a) diversity and (b) background checks at interview stage when recruiting to the police force.

Chris Philp: The Government committed to recruiting 20,000 additional police officers across England and Wales, by 31 March 2023. We await the final data and remain confident we will have delivered on the government’s manifesto commitment.The 20,000 officer uplift is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to support all forces become more representative of the communities they serve, and there are now more female and ethnic minority officers serving in policing than ever before.Between April 2020 and December 2022, there were a total of 34,647 new police officer recruits to forces in England and Wales. Of these recruits, 42.6% were female which was an improvement on 36.9% during the year ending 31 March 2020. Over the same period, 11.5% of all new recruits identified as ethnic minorities which was also an improvement on 10.3% reported during the year ending 31 March 2020.The Home Secretary recently asked the College to update their vetting code of practice which will provide stricter obligations for Chief Officers on how vetting should be carried out within their forces.

Undocumented Migrants: Pregnancy

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many pregnant women arrived in the UK by small boat in 2022.

Robert Jenrick: The Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee recently asked a similar question and the response to that is currently under consideration by Ministers. That response will be given to Parliament shortly.

Asylum

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many of her Department's sites operate the Prioritising Asylum Customer Experience programme.

Robert Jenrick: Currently, the Prioritising Asylum Customer Experience Programme, commonly known as PACE, is active (with different levels of intensity and work, due to phased plans) in all 14 Asylum decision making locations. This varies from intensive work with the operation teams, to planning and early case allocation.

Anti-social Behaviour: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce anti-social behaviour in the London Borough of Havering.

Chris Philp: On 27 March we published the Anti-social Behaviour (ASB) Action Plan. The ASB Action Plan commits to tackling ASB across five key themes: stronger punishment; making communities safer; building local pride; prevention and early intervention; and improving data, reporting and accountability for action.This plan is backed by £160m of funding. This includes up to £60m to fund an increased police and other uniformed presence to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, targeting hotspots. Initially we will work with 10 police force areas, but from 2024 we will support a hotspot approach across every police force area in England and Wales.We are also providing up to £50m to support the provision of Immediate Justice, by issuing out of court disposals with conditions to swiftly repair any damage – the aim being for them to start within 48 hours of the offence. This will start in 10 initial trailblazer police force areas and be rolled out nationally in 2024.As at 31 December 2022, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has recruited 3,217 additional uplift officers against a total three-year allocation of 4,557 officers. The MPS’s funding will be up to £3,343.9m in 2023/24, an increase of up to £102.3m when compared to 2022/23.

Police Pursuits

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential effect of high-speed police pursuits on the number of road traffic fatalities.

Chris Philp: The Home Office has not assessed the potential effect of high-speed police pursuits on the number of road traffic fatalities.However, the Department is in contact with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to understand what the police are doing to improve the safety of police pursuits.

Police: Pay

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the Police Remuneration Review Body’s recommendations for the pay and allowances of police officers.

Chris Philp: The Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB) considers and makes recommendations to the Government on the appropriate level of pay and allowances for police officers. The Government values its independent and expert advice.The Home Secretary’s remit letter, issued on 29 November 2022, asks the PRRB to make recommendations for the 2023/24 pay award and to submit its report in May. The Government will give very careful consideration to the Review Body’s recommendations.

Hallucinogens

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been arrested for possession of (a) psilocybin, (b) psilocin and (c) magic mushrooms in each of the last five years.

Chris Philp: The Home Office collects and publishes data annually on arrests in England and Wales, available here: Police powers and procedures: Stop and search and arrests, England and Wales, year ending 31 March 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)However, this data is collected by wider offence group, e.g. “drug offences”, therefore data on arrests for more specific drug offences is not available.

Anti-social Behaviour: Weaver Vale

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to tackle anti-social behaviour in Weaver Vale constituency.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is talking to help the police force in Cheshire to reduce incidents of anti-social behaviour; and whether she plans to grant the police extra funds.

Chris Philp: On 27 March we published the ASB Action Plan. The ASB Action Plan commits to tackling ASB across five key themes: stronger punishment, making communities safer, building local pride, prevention and early intervention, improving data, reporting and accountability for action.This plan is backed by £160m of funding. This includes up to £60m to fund an increased police and other uniformed presence to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, targeting hotspots. Initially we will work with 10 police force areas, but from 2024 will support a hotspot approach across every police force area in England and Wales.We are also providing up to £50m to support the provision of Immediate Justice, by issuing out of court disposals with conditions to swiftly repair any damage – the aim being for them to start within 48 hours of the offence. This will start in 10 initial trailblazer police force areas and be rolled out nationally in 2024.As at 31 December 2022, Cheshire Constabulary has recruited 316 additional uplift officers against a total three year allocation of 300 officers. The force has been allocated 120 additional uplift officers in the final year of the Uplift. Cheshire Constabulary’s funding will be up to £242.6m in 2023/24, an increase of £9.8m when compared to 2022/23

Home Office: Email

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March 2023 to Question 164009, for what reasons the information is not held in a reportable format.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office does not collect or report this information, and the information requested could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

Members: Correspondence

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to respond to the urgent queries email of 21 February 2023 from the hon. Member for Liverpool, Walton on Hamza Shafique.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office replied to the hon. Member on 1 March 2023.

Members: Correspondence

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to respond to the urgent queries email of 20 February 2023 from the hon. Member for Liverpool, Walton on Hassan Raofi.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office contacted the hon. Member on 17 April 2023 to request a copy of this correspondence and will reply as a priority.

Seasonal Agricultural Workers' Scheme

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme to 9 months.

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Scheme to a five-year rolling programme.

Robert Jenrick: The Government currently has no plans to extend the maximum visa grant for Seasonal Worker route beyond the existing six months or to transition the route a five-year rolling programme. The Government keeps the Seasonal Worker routes under ongoing review.

Immigration: Applications

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a fee waiver for applications for indefinite leave to remain.

Robert Jenrick: The right to stay indefinitely is one of the most valuable entitlements offered for those seeking to enter or remain in the UK, and it is right that the fee should be higher than most for migrants staying temporarily in the UK.A grant of indefinite leave to remain is not necessary to enable people to remain in the UK on the basis of their Article 8 or other ECHR rights, as these can be met through a grant of limited leave to remain. The provision of an affordability-based waiver for limited leave on family and private life routes allows an individual or family to remain here lawfully, and to then apply for settlement and pay the fee when the funds become available. As such, there are no plans to waive the fee for indefinite leave to remain.

Immigration: Applications

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of a fee waiver for applications for indefinite leave to remain.

Robert Jenrick: The right to stay indefinitely is one of the most valuable entitlements offered for those seeking to enter or remain in the UK, and it is right that the fee should be higher than most for migrants staying temporarily in the UK.A grant of indefinite leave to remain is not necessary to enable people to remain in the UK on the basis of their Article 8 or other ECHR rights, as these can be met through a grant of limited leave to remain. The provision of an affordability-based waiver for limited leave on family and private life routes allows an individual or family to remain here lawfully, and to then apply for settlement and pay the fee when the funds become available. As such, there are no plans to waive the fee for indefinite leave to remain.

UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications of the provisions in the Illegal Migration Bill pertaining to the application of (a) the European Convention on Human Rights and (b) the Human Rights Act 1998 on the scope for continued co-operation between the UK and the European Union on law enforcement and judicial matters within the framework of part three of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

Robert Jenrick: There are no implications. As the Government has previously set out, we are satisfied that the provisions of the Illegal Migration Bill are compatible with our obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.

Immigration: Applications

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons her department does not have a fee waiver for applications for indefinite leave to remain; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a fee waiver for applications for indefinite leave to remain.

Robert Jenrick: The right to stay indefinitely is one of the most valuable entitlements offered for those seeking to enter or remain in the UK, and it is right that the fee should be higher than most for migrants staying temporarily in the UK.A grant of indefinite leave to remain is not necessary to enable people to remain in the UK on the basis of their Article 8 or other ECHR rights, as these can be met through a grant of limited leave to remain. The provision of an affordability-based waiver for limited leave on family and private life routes allows an individual or family to remain here lawfully, and to then apply for settlement and pay the fee when the funds become available. As such, there are no plans to waive the fee for indefinite leave to remain.

Immigration

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the impact of the 10-year route to settlement on levels of integration in the period since 2012; and if she will make a statement.

Robert Jenrick: Those who meet all eligibility and specified evidential requirements of the Family Immigration Rules are granted on a five-year route to settlement (granted in two periods of 30 months, with a third application for indefinite leave to remain). Those who cannot or do not meet these requirements, or seek to rely on their private life, instead have a 10 year route to settlement (granted in four periods of 30 months, with a fifth application for indefinite leave to remain). This reflects our obligations under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.The 10 year route provides additional time for those applicants to better integrate into British society by being able to achieve an appropriate knowledge of the English language which, in turn, will enable them to obtain employment and take a full and active part in their community.We are in the process of simplifying the immigration system, including the 10 year routes to settlement. As part of this simplification the impact of existing policies will be taken into account.

Migrant Workers: Exploitation

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2023 to Question 174420 on Migrant Workers: Exploitation, if she will set a target to meet the International Labour Organisation standard of 1 labour inspector per 10,000 workers.

Robert Jenrick: At this stage, we will not set a target of labour market inspectors. The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) is a regulatory, law enforcement and compliance body charged with preventing, detecting, and tackling labour exploitation across the UK. We work closely with all enforcement bodies, including the GLAA, to ensure the effectiveness and impact of their activities, regardless the number of labour market inspectors.

Immigration Controls

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the 2012 expansion of the 10-year route to settlement.

Robert Jenrick: Those who meet all eligibility and specified evidential requirements of the Family Immigration Rules are granted on a five-year route to settlement (granted in two periods of 30 months, with a third application for indefinite leave to remain). Those who cannot or do not meet these requirements, or seek to rely on their private life, instead have a 10 year route to settlement (granted in four periods of 30 months, with a fifth application for indefinite leave to remain). This reflects our obligations under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.The 10 year route provides additional time for those applicants to better integrate into British society by being able to achieve an appropriate knowledge of the English language which, in turn, will enable them to obtain employment and take a full and active part in their community.We are in the process of simplifying the immigration system, including the 10 year routes to settlement. As part of this simplification the impact of existing policies will be taken into account.

Immigration Controls

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the impact of the 10-year route to settlement on integration (a) before and (b) after it was expanded in 2012.

Robert Jenrick: Those who meet all eligibility and specified evidential requirements of the Family Immigration Rules are granted on a five-year route to settlement (granted in two periods of 30 months, with a third application for indefinite leave to remain). Those who cannot or do not meet these requirements, or seek to rely on their private life, instead have a 10 year route to settlement (granted in four periods of 30 months, with a fifth application for indefinite leave to remain). This reflects our obligations under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.The 10 year route provides additional time for those applicants to better integrate into British society by being able to achieve an appropriate knowledge of the English language which, in turn, will enable them to obtain employment and take a full and active part in their community.We are in the process of simplifying the immigration system, including the 10 year routes to settlement. As part of this simplification the impact of existing policies will be taken into account.

Regugees: Ukraine

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications under the (a) Homes for Ukraine scheme and (b) Ukrainian Family Scheme were awaiting a decision as of 13 April 2023.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time it takes her Department to process applications submitted to (a) the Homes for Ukraine Scheme and (b) the Ukrainian Family Scheme.

Robert Jenrick: UKVI aims to assess Ukraine Schemes visa applications as quickly as possible. Straightforward applications are processed within days. Visas are only issued after all necessary checks have been completed which may take longer in some cases.The latest published figures, including the number of outstanding applications for each route, can be found here:Ukraine Family Scheme, Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine) and Ukraine Extension Scheme visa data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Immigration

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the impact of the 10-year route to settlement on levels of integration in the period since 2012; and if she will make a statement.

Robert Jenrick: Those who meet all eligibility and specified evidential requirements of the Family Immigration Rules, will be granted on a five-year route to settlement (granted in two periods of 30 months, with a third application for indefinite leave to remain). Those who cannot or do not meet these requirements, or seek to rely on their private life, will instead have a longer route to settlement: 10 years (granted in four periods of 30 months, with a fifth application for indefinite leave to remain). This reflects our obligations under Article 8 of the ECHR.The 10 year route, provides additional time for those applicants to better integrate into British society by being able to achieve an appropriate knowledge of the English language which, in turn, will enable them to obtain employment and take a full and active part in their community.We are in the process of simplifying the immigration system, including the ten-year routes to settlement. As part of this simplification the impact of existing policies will be taken into account

Asylum: Bolton South East

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of how many (a) outstanding asylum claims there are from people in and (b) refugees there are in Bolton South East constituency as of 30 March 2023.

Robert Jenrick: The requested information is not held in a reportable format and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Whilst the Home Office holds information on the addresses of asylum claimants and those seeking further leave to remain, the number residing in Bolton South East constituency as of 30 March 2023 is not held in a reportable format and would require a manual search through individual records.

Department of Health and Social Care

Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme: Cancer

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to provide financial support for the cost of travelling to hospital by cancer patients who do not qualify for the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme.

Helen Whately: Patients who do not qualify for the HTCS and are on low incomes may be able to claim the costs from the Department for Work and Pensions through the Universal Credit or Personal Independence Payment schemes.

Members: Correspondence

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department will respond to the email from the hon. Member for Liverpool, Walton sent to his Department's MP correspondence inbox on 14 March 2023.

Will Quince: We have received the email from the hon. Member and will reply in due course.

NHS: Databases

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will submit for Parliamentary approval his preferred candidate organisation to be awarded the NHS Federated Data Platform contract.

Will Quince: The approval process for the Federated Data Platform Full Business Case, which will include details of the preferred supplier, will follow the standard process for approval via the following Government Departments ahead of contract award:- Department of Health and Social Care;- Cabinet Office; and- HM Treasury.Parliamentary approval will not be required ahead of contract award. Details of the contract award will be published online.

Sepsis: Children

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of early diagnosis of sepsis in children on patient outcomes.

Helen Whately: The Government remains committed to improving the prevention, diagnosis, and management of sepsis, including in children. It is recognised that early diagnosis improves outcomes for patients with suspected sepsis.The NHSE Paediatrics Early Warning System (PEWS) programme board was established to address difficulties with standardised early warning systems in children. It brings together a wide-ranging group of child health experts to look at how the system identifies and responds to deteriorating children in all settings and presentations.The system to detect early deterioration in children in the in-patient setting is being implemented in 2023/24 across the country. It is named the System-wide Paediatric Observations Tracking (SPOT) as work is also underway to develop the recognition and response to deterioration across all settings, recognising that deterioration may occur in primary and community care, ambulance services, emergency departments and in hospitals.

Breast Cancer: Data Protection

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how long data is retained by the NHS on people being given the all clear for breast cancer; and whether their is a maximum time limit for someone to receive a diagnosis of secondary cancer when cancer is diagnosed at a future point.

Helen Whately: The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) in NHS England, as the national cancer registry, collects diagnosis and treatment data on cancer patients in England. NDRS data sets do not include an “all clear” date or a proxy for this date.To aid research and support future improvements in patient care, the data collected by the national cancer registry may be stored indefinitely. If a patient requires further treatment for cancer, the data collection will resume, and Cancer Outcomes and Services Dataset contains the requirement for hospitals to state if this episode of disease is for a new or existing diagnosis.

Sepsis: Children

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what research his Department has (a) funded and (b) commissioned on identifying sepsis in children.

Helen Whately: The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Since 2018 the NIHR has funded 10 research projects on sepsis in children with a combined total funding value of over £14 million.

Skin Cancer: Diagnosis

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the guidance entitled The two-week wait skin cancer pathway: innovative approaches to support early diagnosis of skin cancer as part of the NHS COVID-19 recovery plan, published by NHS England on 4 April 2022, whether (a) his Department and (b) NHS England are taking steps to monitor implementation of service delivery models in the guidance by integrated care boards.

Helen Whately: NHS England are responsible for monitoring the implementation of teledermatology services via several routes. Where possible, data has been collected directly from dermatology services by Cancer Alliances. In the 2023/24 financial year, NHS England are asking National Health Service trusts in England to collect and submit data on implementation of teledermatology in cancer pathways through a quarterly snapshot audit. NHS England continues to work with key partners, particularly the British Association of Dermatologists, who also have considerable intelligence on the extent to which teledermatology services have been implemented so far

Members: Correspondence

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the correspondence of 24 February 2023 from the hon. Member for Tooting on restraint in mental health settings.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Sepsis: Children

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that healthcare professionals receive training on recognising sepsis in children.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Sciensus

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which NHS England Trusts were advised to put Sciensus on their risk register following an inspection of the supplier by the Care Quality Commission; when they were advised to do so; and which of those Trusts still have the supplier on their risk register.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Sciensus

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 18 July 2022 to Question 26838 on NHS: Sciensus, when the Care Quality Commission required Sciensus to enter special measures; when Sciensus left special measures; and what meetings were held between Sciensus and (a) the National Homecare Medicines Committee and (b) NHS England during this period.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Stepping Hill Hospital: Speech and Language Therapy

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to (a) reinstate and (b) replace group speech and language therapy at Stepping Hill Hospital.

Helen Whately: The provision of speech and language therapy services is a local decision. NHS England is working with the Department for Education to identify and support children with Speech, Language and Communication Needs by co-funding pathfinder sites that will deliver the Early Language Support for Every Child programme in Early Years and Primary School settings. As part of the Government’s Special Education Needs and Disabilities and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan published in March 2023, the £70 million Change Programme will trial new ways of working to better identify and support children with speech, language and communication needs in early years and primary schools, and to improve access to speech and language therapy for those who need it.

Disability: Debt Collection

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the mental health impact of using bailiffs to recover arrears of non-residential charges from people with disabilities.

Helen Whately: No assessment has been made.

Heart Diseases: Screening

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the differential presentation of heart attacks in women and men is covered in the NHS Health Check.

Helen Whately: As the NHS Health Check is England’s cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention programme, information and advice on the presentation of heart attacks is out of scope for the service. During a check, a CVD risk calculator, QRISK, is used to establish an individual’s chance of having a heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years. The calculation uses sex as a weighted risk factor.

Heart Diseases

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the impact of heart failure on people from ethnic minority backgrounds; and what steps his Department is taking to increases early diagnoses of heart failure in people from those groups.

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent guidance his Department has provided to practice nurses on identifying the symptoms of heart failure.

Helen Whately: No recent assessment has made. NHS England has a range of current guidance supporting Healthcare Professionals on identifying the symptoms of heart failure, including an elearning programme targeted at clinicians in primary and community care settings.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Tom Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the (a) number of foreign nationals who have received NHS treatment in the last year and (b) the proportion of that figure who have paid back the NHS for their treatment.

Tom Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government cover NHS costs on behalf of asylum seekers.

Will Quince: The information requested is not held centrally. Those seeking asylum or temporary or humanitarian protection are exempt from paying for National Health Service treatment in England, where they have made a valid application, until their application is finally determined. Devolved Administrations are responsible for NHS charging in their areas.

Members: Correspondence

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to reply to correspondence from the hon. Member for Manchester Gorton dated 21 February 2023, reference AK54612.

Helen Whately: I replied to the hon. Member on 19 April 2023

Breast Cancer

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that data is collected to find out the number of patients living with metastatic breast cancer.

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that data is collected to assess the success rates of metastatic breast cancer treatment pathways.

Helen Whately: The National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service works closely with hospital trusts to determine sources of data which can be used to complete the Cancer Outcomes and Services Dataset data and also works with the software suppliers of cancer management systems to ensure that data items are able to be recorded. Compliance with data standards is monitored by local integrated care boards (ICBs).The Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership commissions, develops, and manages the National Clinical Audit and Patient Outcomes Programme, on behalf of NHS England, Wales and other devolved administrations. These audits have been introduced to reduce variation in treatment by demonstrating where care is being provided in line with standards and where a service is doing well or could be improved. Five additional new clinical audits were announced in May 2021, one of which will focus on metastatic breast cancer.

Rare Diseases: Health Services

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to  priority four of the UK Rare Diseases Framework, what steps his Department is taking to reduce regional variations in access to specialist care for patients with (a) hereditary angioedema and (b) other rare diseases.

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of patient-supported education as a means of reducing regional variation in care for (a) hereditary angioedema and (b) other rare diseases.

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the recognition by clinicians in emergency settings of (a) hereditary angioedema and (b) other potentially life-threatening rare diseases.

Helen Whately: NHS England regularly assesses the geographic spread of patients accessing highly specialised services. If there are any regional variations, NHS England will work with the relevant service to investigate and address these issues. No specific assessment has been made of patient-supported education as a means of reducing regional variation in care for hereditary angioedema or other rare diseases.No specific assessment has been made of the adequacy of the recognition by clinicians in emergency settings of hereditary angioedema and other potentially life-threatening rare diseases. However, the 2021 UK Rare Diseases Framework aims to improve the awareness of all rare diseases, including hereditary angioedema. England’s second Rare Diseases Action Plan, published in February 2023, reports on progress made to increase knowledge and improve the resources available to healthcare professionals. This includes the development of GeNotes, an educational resource that aims to increase the awareness of genetic and rare diseases amongst healthcare professionals. The Genomics Education Programme actively delivers education and training to the National Health Service workforce to support awareness, knowledge and management of rare disease.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Coronavirus

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people are employed in the NHS Business Services Authority's quality assurance processes for reviewing Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme claims relating to covid-19 vaccinations; and how many claims initially recommended for acceptance have been overturned as a result of those processes.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Pay

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the impact of the NHS Pay Settlement is on the Public Health Grant for 2023-24; and whether that Grant is a real-terms increase from 2022-23.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hospitals: Finance

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding each local NHS Trust and Integrated care system promised a new hospital as part of the New Hospital programme has received.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Palantir: Databases

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April to Question 175561 on Palantir: Databases, for what reason that Answer did not mention the common law duty of confidentiality.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cases of covid-19 vaccine-induced thrombosis and thrombocytopenia were reported to Public Health England using the reporting link contained within the 7 April 2021 Guidance from the Expert Haematology Panel; and how many of these reports related to events that took place before April 2021.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

General Practitioners: Closures

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April to Question 176748 on General Practitioners: Closures, if he will publish a list of the 158 practices that have been either closed or merged.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Coronavirus

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the (a) minimum and (b) maximum period is after the administration of a covid-19 vaccine at which the level of disability caused by that vaccine can be assessed for the purposes of a payment under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health Services: Strikes

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on which dates he has met with the British Medical Association to discuss preventing strike action since his appointment on 25 October 2022.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what account his Department takes of (a) actual and (b) potential changes in the level of disability when deciding whether the 60 per cent disablement threshold has been met for the purposes of Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Services: Disadvantaged

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the (a) prevalence of oral health inequality and (b) impact of such inequality on people from minoritised and deprived communities.

Neil O'Brien: The most recent report on oral health inequalities in England was published by the Government in March 2021. The report found that there are inequalities in oral health in England across different socioeconomic positions, geographic areas, protected characteristics and vulnerable groups. The report concluded that there is a paucity of information for some groups and recommended that more evidence is needed to fully understand inequalities in oral health in England.As part of the annual National Dental Epidemiology Programme, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities co-ordinates dental surveys that report levels of oral health of population groups. These surveys report tooth decay by level of deprivation and ethnic groups.

Dental Services: Vacancies

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to offer incentives to dental professionals to work in areas experiencing a shortage of dentists; and what steps he is planning to take to ensure adequate dental practice provision in those areas in each of the next five years.

Neil O'Brien: The Department is exploring incentives for dental professionals to work in areas experiencing a shortage of dentists.NHS England, regional teams and integrated care boards across England are working together to ensure that patients continue to have access to National Health Service dental care. This includes an assessment to identify potential gaps in NHS dental service provision and to consider what actions may be required.In September 2022, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’ which sets out how we will meet oral health needs and increase access to NHS dental care, whilst making the NHS dental contract more attractive to dental practices. These changes are an important first step in improving the system. We know we need to do more and will announce further changes later this year.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that all people who require pre-exposure prophylaxis are able to access that drug.

Neil O'Brien: As part of the HIV Action Plan, we committed to supporting the system to continue to improve access to the human immunodeficiency virus prevention drug pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for key population groups.A PrEP Access and Equity Task and Finish group was established in 2022 as part of the HIV Action Plan Implementation Steering Group comprised of key delivery partners and sector stakeholders. The Task and Finish group has delivered recommendations on improving PrEP delivery for key population groups, which are currently being considered.

Life Expectancy: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with the Department for Health NI on trends in the level of male and female life expectancy in Northern Ireland.

Neil O'Brien: Health in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter, and we have not had specific Ministerial discussions on trends in the level of male and female life expectancy in Northern Ireland.Both life expectancy and healthy life expectancy are important measures of population health across the United Kingdom, and there is a shared UK ambition to improve health and tackle health disparities. Departmental officials engage regularly with their counterparts in Northern Ireland, for example through the UK Directors Group, to discuss opportunities to take joined-up action wherever possible, and to share knowledge on what works in improving population health.

Older People: Advocacy

Mrs Flick Drummond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the joint statement by over 75 national organisations calling for the appointment of a Commissioner for Older People and Ageing.

Neil O'Brien: We have no current plans to make a specific assessment.

Dental Services: Waiting Lists

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will set targets for waiting times for dental (a) check ups and (b) treatment for NHS patients.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to collect data on the number of people (a) waiting longer than (i) six months, (ii) 12 months, (iii) 18 months, (iv) 24 months and (v) three years to see an NHS dentist and (b) who have been unable to be placed on a waiting list for an NHS dentist.

Neil O'Brien: Patients do not routinely join dental waiting lists and no data exists on the average length of time it takes for a patient to get access to a course of treatment. Patients are only registered with a dental practice for a course of treatment and can go elsewhere if they choose.The Government has taken steps to address the challenges facing National Health Service dentistry, and the package of reforms announced last July is an important first step. We know we need to do more and will announce further changes soon. Patients who are struggling to find a local dentist can contact NHS England’s Customer Contact Centre for assistance or contact NHS 111 if seeking urgent care.

Sexually Transmitted Infections

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the level of transmission of sexually transmitted infections.

Neil O'Brien: We are committed to improving sexual health in England and have published an HIV Action Plan in 2021, which sets out the actions that we are taking from 2022 to 2025 to move towards ending human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmissions and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)- and HIV-related deaths within England by 2030. As part of the plan, we are investing over £3.5 million from 2021 to 2024 to deliver the National HIV Prevention Programme for England, including HIV Testing Week and other campaigns to improve information and testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Dedicated sexual health services play a key public health role in diagnosis, early treatment and management of STIs, and we are providing more than £3.5 billion to local authorities through the public health grant to fund public health services, including sexual health services, in this financial year. Individual local authorities are responsible for and well placed to make funding and commissioning decisions about the sexual health services that best meet the needs of their local populations. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) conducts comprehensive surveillance of STIs and HIV in England and uses this data to understand national and local level trends and monitor preventative interventions. UKHSA also undertakes work to inform STI prevention programmes such as the National Chlamydia Screening Programme delivered by local authorities.

Dental Services: Contracts

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the impact of changes to the NHS dental contract in 2022 on the retention of NHS dentists.

Neil O'Brien: Data on Nation Health Service dentistry in England for 2022/23 is expected to be published in August 2023.In September 2022, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlined how we will meet oral health needs and increase access to dental care across England. These will increase access to NHS dentistry whilst making the NHS dental contract more attractive to dental practices. However, we know we need to do more, which is why we are working on additional reforms that we plan to announce later this year.

Dental Services: Standards

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to ensure that NHS dental services meet the standards set out in the NHS Constitution for England.

Neil O'Brien: The requirements of dental contract holders are laid out in the General Dental Services and Personal Dental Services regulations and their contract. This includes compliance with all relevant legislation and relevant guidance issued by NHS England and the Secretary of State for Social Care, such as the NHS Constitution.Care Quality Commission are the independent regulator of health and social care in England, which includes dental practices. The General Dental Council set the professional standards for clinical staff.The Government has taken steps to address the challenges facing National Health Service dentistry, and the package of reforms announced last July is an important first step. We know we need to do more and will announce further changes soon.

BUPA: York

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with Bupa on the future provision of care for NHS patients registered with Bupa Dental Care York.

Neil O'Brien: I met with representatives from BUPA on 29 March to discuss the announcement and its impact on services in the affected areas.Following BUPA’s notice to NHS England of closures, regional teams and integrated care boards across England are working together to ensure that patients continue to have access to National Health Service dental care. This includes an assessment to identify potential gaps in NHS dental service provision and to consider what actions may be required.NHS dentists are required to keep their NHS.UK profiles up to date so that patients can find a dentist more easily. This includes information on whether they are accepting new patients.State-funded healthcare within the United Kingdom but outside of England is a devolved matter and the responsibility of the devolved Governments.Patients struggling to find a local dentist can contact NHS England’s Customer Contact Centre for assistance or contact NHS 111 if seeking urgent care.

Pharmacy: Waste Disposal

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the trend in the level of pharmacies that refuse to accept expired medications for disposal.

Neil O'Brien: The disposal of unwanted or expired medicines returned to the pharmacy by patients or carers is an essential pharmaceutical service funded through the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework, and all community pharmacies in England delivering NHS services must provide this service. These returns are collected at regular intervals by a waste contractor commissioned by each integrated care board (ICB). Pharmacies that do not accept returns are in breach of their Terms of Service. ICBs are responsible for enforcing the Terms of Service of pharmacy contractors.

BUPA: Dental Services

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential effects of the closure of Bupa dental practices on the availability of NHS dentistry.

Neil O'Brien: Following BUPA’s notice to NHS England of closures, regional teams and integrated care boards across England are working together to ensure that patients continue to have access to National Health Service dental care. This includes an assessment to identify potential gaps in NHS dental service provision and to consider what actions may be required.NHS dentists are required to keep their NHS.UK profiles up to date so that patients can find a dentist more easily. This includes information on whether they are accepting new patients.State-funded healthcare within the United Kingdom but outside of England is a devolved matter and the responsibility of the devolved Governments.Patients struggling to find a local dentist can contact NHS England’s Customer Contact Centre for assistance or contact NHS 111 if seeking urgent care.

General Practitioners

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has issued to GPs on including independent providers in shortlists to patients requiring treatment.

Neil O'Brien: Under the GP contract, a contractor must not advertise the provision of private services, either itself or through another person, using the same written or electronic means used to advertise the National Health Service funded primary medical services it provides.

Pharmacy: Contracts

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the NHS contract with pharmacies includes any provisions restricting the publicising of closing times.

Neil O'Brien: There are no restrictions on pharmacies with National Health Service contracts publicising their closing times. The National Health Service (Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2013 require pharmacies which are not distance selling pharmacies to display a notice specifying the time at which they are open for the provision of drugs and appliances. The 2013 Regulations also require pharmacies to have an accurate profile in the NHS Digital directory of services and on the NHS.UK website. The profile includes information on opening hours and must be updated when there are changes to a pharmacy’s opening hours, either temporarily or permanently.

Genito-urinary Medicine: Finance

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to provide sexual health services with an adequate level of funding.

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the impact of public health grant allocations on the level of funding for sexual health services.

Neil O'Brien: No assessment of the impact of public health grant allocations on the level of funding for sexual health services is currently planned.Since 2013, the Government has mandated local authorities in England to commission comprehensive open access to most sexual health services through the public health grant.At the 2021 Spending Review we considered the need for local authority public health funding and confirmed that the public health grant to local authorities would increase over the settlement period. In 2023/24, the Grant increased by 3.3% to £3.529 billion, and will rise to £3.575 billion in 2024/25. It is for individual local authorities to decide their spending priorities based on an assessment of local need, including sexual health services, and to commission the service lines that best suit their population.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Coronavirus

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will extend or pause applicable limitation periods applying to Civil claims for compensation for loss arising from covid-19 vaccinations to take into account delays being experienced in making claims under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.

Maria Caulfield: There are currently no plans to extend or pause the limitation periods that would apply to claims relating to COVID-19 vaccines. The Department has worked closely with the NHS Business Services Authority to transform the administration of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme in order to process claims more quickly and reduce delays. This includes increasing the number of administrative staff, modernising processes, working to improve the return rate of medical records, and introducing a sampling approach for quality assurance of medical assessments.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Mental Health Services

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support people with obsessive compulsive disorder.

Maria Caulfield: It is for local integrated care boards to commission services to meet the needs of their local population. We expect services for people with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) to be commissioned in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's clinical guideline on ‘Obsessive-compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder: treatment’. The guidance includes advice on recognising, assessing, diagnosing and treating OCD. It also aims to improve the diagnosis and treatment of OCD. People with OCD may also be referred to NHS Talking Therapies services or a specialist mental health service for treatment.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason teachers and students in SEN schools are excluded from receiving covid-19 booster vaccinations.

Maria Caulfield: The Government is guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on who should be offered COVID-19 vaccinations. The primary aim of the COVID-19 vaccination programme is the prevention of severe disease, hospitalisation and mortality arising from COVID-19. Boosters are offered to those considered at risk of serious outcomes. On 7 March 2023, the Government accepted JCVI advice that as a precautionary measure, an extra COVID-19 vaccine booster dose should be offered in spring 2023 to adults aged 75 years old and over, residents in a care home for older adults and individuals aged five years old and over who are immunosuppressed. Older persons, residents in care homes for older adults and those who are immunosuppressed continue to be at highest risk of severe COVID-19. Special Educational Needs teachers and students are not as a group excluded from receiving these or any other COVID-19 booster vaccinations. If they meet the criteria for eligibility set out above, they will be able to receive a COVID-19 spring booster vaccination. The JCVI regularly reviews its advice in relation to the COVID-19 vaccination programme, considering new data, evidence on the effectiveness of the programme and the epidemiological situation.

Health Services

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential (a) cost-saving (b) time-saving and (c) patient benefits of using self-care in primary care settings.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department are taking to ensure that primary care healthcare practitioners are (a) trained and (b) resourced to support patients with self-care.

Neil O'Brien: No assessment has been made of the potential cost-saving, time-saving or patient benefits of using self-care in primary care settings.Self-care is however an integral part of the NHS Long Term Plan and the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework 2019-24 five-year deal. All community pharmacies in England delivering services from the National Health Service must provide support for self-care, including for minor ailments. Under the five-year deal we have introduced the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service enabling NHS 111 and general practitioners (GPs) to refer patients with a minor illness to a community pharmacist for a consultation, advice and support for self-care and, if necessary, an over-the-counter medicine. The service can also provide an emergency supply of previously prescribed medicines. From 15 May, urgent and emergency care settings will also be able to refer patients to a community pharmacist for a consultation for a minor illness or urgent medicine supply.GPs are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients.All United Kingdom registered doctors are expected to meet the professional standards set out in the General Medical Council’s (GMC) Good Medical Practice. In 2012 the GMC introduced revalidation which supports doctors in regularly reflecting on how they can develop or improve their practice, gives patients confidence that doctors are up to date with their practice and promotes improved quality of care by driving improvements in clinical governance.

NHS England: Public Appointments

Anthony Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support the appointment of a clinical women’s health lead for NHS England.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England are continuing to work with the Women’s Health Ambassador and the Department with the aim of appointing a Women’s Health lead in due course.

Hospitals: Legionnaires' Disease

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of hospitals had legionella bacteria detected in their water supply since 2018; what the financial cost of each detection has been in each instance; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Caulfield: The information requested is not collected.

Dental Services: Vacancies

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle reported shortages of NHS dentists in (a) Southport, (b) the North West and (c) the rest of England.

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department is providing to patients affected by closures of local dental practices; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that those patients have adequate access to dental care.

Neil O'Brien: NHS England, regional teams and integrated care boards across England are working together to ensure that patients continue to have access to National Health Service dental care. This includes an assessment to identify potential gaps in NHS dental service provision and to consider what actions may be required.NHS dentists are required to keep their NHS.UK profiles up to date so that patients can find a dentist more easily. This includes information on whether they are accepting new patients.We are taking measures to increase access to NHS dentistry. We are working with Health Education England and NHS England to understand how Centres for Dental Development could be delivered to improve access in areas where there is currently a shortage in provision.In September 2022, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’ which sets out how we will meet oral health needs and increase access to NHS dental care, including in the North West and Southport, whilst making the NHS dental contract more attractive to dental practices. These changes were an important first step, but we know we need to do more. We are working on further changes which will be announced later this year. NHS England is responsible for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population. Many of the dentistry commissioning functions undertaken by NHS England will transfer to integrated care boards from April 2023, supported by an Assurance Framework to provide assurances on commissioning.The Government is also committed to publishing a long-term workforce plan shortly which will cover dentists and other dental healthcare professionals.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that there is sufficient high quality residential placements for children and young people with serious mental health challenges in every locality.

Maria Caulfield: Our overall strategy is to reduce reliance on inpatient mental health beds for children and young people with a severe mental illness and to have fewer young people being detained under the Mental Health Act. To support this the model of provision of National Health Service-funded inpatient treatment is being reviewed and re-designed to support the move to community-based provision, where children and young people are able to access appropriate support in a timely, effective, and patient-centred way, close to home and in the least restrictive environment.We recognise that for some young people, admission to hospital will not be the most appropriate way to meet their needs. This has been a focus of the transformation of children and young people’s mental health services and continues to be a priority in the NHS Long Term Plan. This transition is being supported by the introduction of provider collaboratives to support place-based commissioning and to develop local services that meet the needs of their communities. Options may include increased day provision and the new model would see a change to how inpatient environments are best utilised.NHS England’s new Quality Transformation Programme is currently undertaking a review of children and young people’s inpatient services. The purpose is to support development of a new model of inpatient care for specialist services that can support localised treatment in the least restrictive environment but also to ensure inpatient care is part of a seamless pathway that delivers quality care.

Dental Services: Fees and Charges

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of increases in NHS dental charges in April 2023 on patients on low incomes who are not eligible for free dentistry.

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS dental fees will increase in April 2024.

Neil O'Brien: We have frozen dental patient charges since 2020 whilst other similar charges such as for National Health Service prescriptions have increased. This is despite rising inflation and increases in costs of delivering NHS care. The uplift of NHS dental charges by 8.5% from 24 April 2023 will raise important revenue for pressurised NHS budgets and NHS dental services following COVID-19 restrictions and we consider it to be a proportionate rise as it remains below the Consumer Prices Index which rose by 17.9% since December 2020 and represents a £2 increase for a Band One course of treatment. The qualifying criteria for the range of exemptions to NHS dental charges and support through the low-income scheme remain unchanged. Just under half of NHS dental patients were treated free of charge in the 2021/22 financial year. We are expecting to increase NHS dental charges further from April 2024, with decisions on the level to be determined nearer the time.

Air Pollution: Death

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many attributable deaths there were from fine particulate matter, PM2.5, were there in (a) East Midlands, (b) East of England, (c) Greater London, (d) North East, (e) North West, (f) South East, (g) South West, (h) West Midlands, (i) Yorkshire and the Humber, and (j) England in each year since 2018 using COMEAP's 2022 methodology.

Maria Caulfield: The information is not held in the format requested. The following table shows the fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution, measured as fine particulate matter, PM2.5 for 2018 to 2021, in each region as a percentage.Region2018201920202021East Midlands6.77.45.25.6East of England7.67.65.85.5Greater London9.08.87.16.5North East5.24.94.04.8North West5.96.25.05.3South East7.77.26.05.4South West6.15.95.25.1West Midlands6.87.35.45.5Yorkshire and the Humber6.16.65.05.0England7.17.15.65.5 Note:The numbers of attributable deaths are not calculated, the provided values represent the percentage of annual deaths from all causes in those aged 30 and older.Estimates are currently available until 2021.

Hormone Replacement Therapy: Pharmacy

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many meetings his Department have held with community pharmacies on hormonal replacement therapy in (a) 2023 and (b) 2022.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many meetings his Department has held with hormonal replacement therapy suppliers in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.

Maria Caulfield: The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) are the representative body for community pharmacy contractors in England. The Department has not met with community pharmacies, however fortnightly meetings have been held with the PSNC in 2022 to discuss the launch of the new hormone replacement therapy (HRT) Prescription Pre-Payment Certificate. The frequency of these meetings increased to weekly in 2023, in the lead up to the 1 April 2023 launch date, and regular meetings will continue over the coming months.Since May 2022 the Department has held quarterly roundtables with suppliers, wholesalers and community pharmacists to discuss the challenges they are facing, what needs to be done to address them and what they are doing.The Department also holds regular meetings with individual HRT suppliers, requesting frequent stock updates to monitor progress against plans, horizon scanning for upcoming issues, problem solving and expediting resupply dates where needed to mitigate supply issues.Ministerial meetings are published quarterly and can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-transparency-publications

Mental Health Services: Bristol

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for child and adolescent mental health services in Bristol.

Maria Caulfield: It is the responsibility of Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board to make available appropriate provision to meet the mental health and other care needs of the local population in Bristol. Nationally, we are supporting the expansion and transformation of mental health services for children and young people through the NHS Long Term Plan. As part of the accompanying investment of at least an extra £2.3 billion a year by March 2024, an additional 345,000 children and young people will be able to get the mental health support they need. We also provided an additional £79 million for 2021/22 to allow around 22,500 more children and young people to access community mental health services and around 2,000 more to access eating disorder services. We continue to roll out mental health support teams in schools and colleges across the country, offering early support to children experiencing anxiety, depression, and other common mental health issues. As of May 2022, eight mental health support teams were in place or planned in the area covered by the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire integrated care system.NHS England has consulted on the potential to introduce five new waiting time standards as part of its clinically-led review of National Health Service access standards, including that children, young people and their families presenting to community-based mental health services should start to receive care within four weeks from referral. As a first step, NHS England has shared and promoted guidance with its local system partners to consistently report waiting times to support the development of a baseline position.

Police Custody and Prisoners: Mental Illness

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an estimate of the number of people who have been detained in (a) prison or (b) a police cell due to not being assessed by a mental health crisis team under Section 47 of the Mental Health Act 1983.

Maria Caulfield: No estimate has been made.

NHS Resolution

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in what circumstances NHS Resolution becomes involved in a legal case being undertaken by a patient against the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department issues on involvement by NHS Resolution in cases in which claimants have commenced legal action against the NHS in the courts.

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department issues guidance on (a) criteria and (b) legal cost thresholds for NHS Resolution involvement in clinical negligence claims; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Caulfield: NHS Resolution (NHSR) manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England. NHSR has a responsibility to settle claims fairly and swiftly, and to defend against unmeritorious claims, to protect NHS resources.NHSR administers claims covered by several indemnity schemes. The two main schemes are the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts, which provides cover for clinical negligence claims against secondary care providers, including all NHS trusts, and the Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice, which provides cover for clinical negligence claims relating to NHS services provided in general practice for incidents occurring on or after 1 April 2019.NHSR also administers the Liabilities to Third Parties Scheme for non-clinical claims against NHS trusts, such as public and employer’s liability. The administration of each NHSR scheme is governed by Regulations and Scheme Rules, which together set the parameters of what is covered. These are available on the NHSR website. As NHSR is independent, the Department is not involved in managing the day-to-day operations of NHSR, including claims handling.

Pharmacy: Closures

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of the closure of pharmacy practices on health inequalities in (a) South East London, (b) London and (c) England.

Neil O'Brien: The Department closely monitors the market to ensure people in England have good access to National Health Service pharmaceutical services. Despite the increase in pharmacy closures seen in recent years, there remains a similar number of pharmacies to ten years ago. 80% of the population live within 20 minutes’ walking distance of a pharmacy. There are relatively more pharmacies in areas of higher deprivation than in areas with lower levels of deprivation within South East London, London and England according to the latest (December 2022) data.

General Practitioners: Bureaucracy

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce bureaucracy affecting the work of GPs.

Neil O'Brien: As part of the 2020/21 GP contract, to help maximise the time available for clinical tasks, the Government committed to a thorough review of levels of bureaucracy in general practice. As part of this work, in August 2022, a cross-Government concordat was published agreeing to seven co-designed principles to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy in general practice. Additionally, the Government has also worked to reduce administrative burdens on general practitioners by reforming who can provide medical evidence and certificates such as fit notes and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency medical checks, freeing up time for more appointments. The Department is continuing to work across Government and with the National Health Service to implement the solutions that emerge.

Nutrition

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is his policy to support mandatory reformulation of foods high in saturated fat, salt and sugar to improve their nutritional profile by reducing those elements.

Neil O'Brien: The Government is delivering mandatory policies which support the reformulation of foods high in saturated fat, salt or sugar. These include the soft drinks industry levy and restrictions on the placement of less healthy products in key selling locations in-store and online. The Government also has a voluntary programme on reduction and reformulation to encourage the food industry to gradually and incrementally lower the levels of sugar, salt and calories in everyday foods and to stimulate the production of healthier products without consumers having to make changes.In addition, we will be implementing restrictions on the sale of less healthy products by volume price from 1 October 2023, and restrictions on the advertising of less healthy products before 9pm on television and paid-for advertising of less healthy products online from 1 October 2025, restrictions which are also expected to support the reformulation of foods high in saturated fat, salt or sugar.

Obesity: Children

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce childhood obesity.

Neil O'Brien: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish on 20 January 2023 to Question 119899.

Pharmacies: Contracts

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has held recent discussions with pharmacists on the (a) community pharmacy contractual framework and (b) the adequacy of resources available to them.

Neil O'Brien: The Department meets regularly with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, the representative body of all pharmacy contractors in England, to discuss the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework and the funding available to the sector.

Public Health

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his department will make an assessment of the potential merits of a major information campaign advising the public how to self manage minor illnesses.

Neil O'Brien: Information campaigns in this area will be explored following publication of the Delivery Plan for Recovering Access to Primary Care, as part of a wider assessment of the role of communications in supporting the plan.

Health Services: Children

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including a retained reflex check at the two to two-and-a-half years old health and development review.

Neil O'Brien: No specific assessment has been made.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing opportunities for breast cancer screening using risk-based analysis of UK breast cancer outcomes.

Neil O'Brien: No assessment has been made.

Out of Area Treatment: Medical Records

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether a patient's GP Practice will be informed if that patient visits different hospitals in other NHS trusts in relation to similar illnesses or injuries.

Neil O'Brien: A patient’s general practice (GP) would usually be informed when they attended hospital, either via a discharge letter, or via a notification on an electronic patient record system. This is dependent on the National Health Service trust knowing the patient’s registered GP. A patient may object to the sharing of their information with their GP when visiting a trust, for example when attending accident and emergency, and the trust will need to follow data protection legislation and guidance to determine whether it is in best interests to still share this with the patient’s GP.

Electronic Cigarettes: Sales

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent the illegal sale of e-cigarettes to people aged under 18.

Neil O'Brien: We have regulations in place to discourage underage vaping. The law protects children through restricting sales of vapes to over-18-year-olds only, limiting nicotine content, refill bottle and tank sizes, and through labelling requirements and advertising restrictions.   The Government provides funding to local authorities in support of local trading standards activity. On 11 April 2023, we announced £3 million of funding for a new national illicit vaping enforcement unit to tackle illicit and underage vape sales across the country.

Electronic Cigarettes: Children

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to bring forward proposals for further regulation of the use of vape pens by people aged under 18.

Neil O'Brien: We have regulations in place to discourage underage vaping. The law protects children through restricting sales of vapes to over 18 years olds only, limiting nicotine content, refill bottle and tank sizes, labelling requirements and through advertising restrictions.However, given the changing circumstances surrounding vapes, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities has launched a call for evidence to identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vape products. The call for evidence will close on Tuesday 6 June. Following this, the Government will consider a range of options based on the evidence provided, including potential changes to vaping regulations.

Travellers: NHS

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when Gypsy, Roma and Traveller groups will be added to the NHS Data Dictionary.

Neil O'Brien: The NHS Data Model and Dictionary reflects the latest approved Information Standard for the data submission of ethnicity categories in the National Health Service. This is derived from the Office for National Statistics’ categories in 2001, which do not currently include Gypsy/Romany Gypsy, Roma and Irish Traveller groupings. There are no plans to amend this.

Dental Services: Greater London

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce NHS dentist waiting lists in (a) the London Borough of Southwark and (b) London.

Neil O'Brien: Continuous registration with a dental practice is not required. Patients are only registered with a dental practice for the course of their treatment, therefore patients do not routinely join dental waiting lists and no data exists on the average length of time it takes for a patient to get access to a course of treatment.National Health Service dentists are required to update their NHS.UK profiles regularly to ensure patients have access to up-to-date information on where they can access care.In circumstances where patients are unable to access an urgent dental appointment directly through an NHS dental practice, they are advised to contact NHS 111 for assistance.In September 2022, we announced ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlines how we will meet oral health needs and increase access to dental care, including in London. These will increase access to NHS dentistry for patients of all ages, whilst making the NHS dental contract more attractive to dental practices. We have taken action to implement these changes, including through regulations that came into effect on 25 November 2022.NHS England is holding further discussions with the British Dental Association and other stakeholders for additional reforms of the NHS Dental System coming shortly this year.

Soft Drinks: Taxation

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy on obesity levels amongst people aged 18 and under.

Neil O'Brien: To date, Government has not assessed the impact of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) on obesity levels amongst people aged 18 years old and under.Rogers et al. (2023) undertook an independent assessment of obesity prevalence in English primary school children and the United Kingdom SDIL. This assessment found that the SDIL was associated with decreased prevalence of obesity in Year Six girls, with the greatest differences in those living in the most deprived areas. They estimated that the reduced sugar-sweetened beverages consumption of drinks covered by SDIL may have prevented around 5,000 cases of obesity in Year Six girls aged 10 to 11 years old, across all socio-economic groups.

Dental Services: Staff

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answers of 17 April 2023 to Questions (a) 177802 and (b) 177804 on Dental Services: Staff, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of directly employing all dental support staff working in (i) dental surgeries and (ii) the dental sector through the NHS.

Neil O'Brien: We have no current plans to make a specific assessment.

Sexual Offences: Victims

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to review and update the Strategic Direction for Sexual Assault and Abuse Services.

Neil O'Brien: NHS England's Strategic Direction for Sexual Assault and Abuse Services will be continued for 2024. During 2023/24 NHS England will co-produce an updated strategy with partners and lived experience groups, to incorporate the responsibilities of integrated care boards.

Cholesterol

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of the importance of (a) healthy cholesterol levels and (b) regular cholesterol checks.

Neil O'Brien: The Department continues to support the national implementation of the National Health Service Health Check programme. The check involves awareness, assessment and management of the top six risk factors for cardiovascular disease, one of which is cholesterol. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities is working with local Government to modernise the NHS Health Check programme and delivering social marketing and behavioural interventions to improve health.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of conducting NHS breast cancer screening every two years for women aged over 50.

Neil O'Brien: No assessment has been made.

General Practitioners: Notice Boards

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department issues guidance to GP surgeries on the frequency with which patient noticeboards are (a) checked for out of date information and (b) updated.

Neil O'Brien: The Department does not issue guidance to general practice (GP) surgeries on the frequency with which patient noticeboards are checked for out-of-date information and updated. As independent contractors, it is up to each individual GP surgery to check for out-of-date information and update patient noticeboards.

Dental Services: Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has to ensure that every child is able to see an NHS dentist; and if she will introduce a school dental check-up service for every school-aged child.

Neil O'Brien: The changes announced in July 2022 and detailed in ‘Our plan for patients’ are the first steps in our work to support National Health Service dentistry and patients, including children, particularly in areas where access is a struggle. But we know that we must go further and that is why we are again working with the sector and NHS England to consider further wider-reaching changes to improve the system. In 2006, the UK National Screening Committee advised that population screening for dental disease in children aged six to nine years old in schools should be discontinued as it was ineffective. Reviews in 2013 and 2019 upheld this recommendation. The latest report is available from the following link: https://view-health-screening-recommendations.service.gov.uk/dental-disease/ In circumstances where parents are unable to access an urgent dental appointment for their child directly through a NHS dental practice, they should contact NHS 111 for assistance.

Smoking: Death

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people died from smoking in (a) England and (b) North Ireland in each year since 2017.

Neil O'Brien: Data for the number of deaths from smoking in England is estimated in the local tobacco profiles and is produced for three-year periods. The latest data shows that between 2017 and 2019, 191,903 deaths were estimated to be attributable to smoking, or roughly 64,000 a year. Data from 2020 onwards is not yet published.The Department is not aware of annual data from Northern Ireland regarding smoking deaths per year. However, as stated in Northern Ireland’s Mid Term Review Tobacco Control Strategy, “Smoking is the single greatest cause of preventable illness and premature death in Northern Ireland, killing round 2,300 people each year.” More information is available at the following link:https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/publications/health-survey-northern-ireland-smoking-trends

Smoking

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what modelling his Department has conducted to estimate that England will reach a smoking prevalence rate of 5 per cent by 2030.

Neil O'Brien: We have announced measures to help more people in England quit smoking. These include a new national swap to stop scheme to provide vapes to one million smokers, and a financial incentives scheme to help all pregnant smokers to quit. We are confident that these new measures, in addition to the actions we are already taking, will set us on course to achieve our Smokefree 2030 ambition, and we will monitor progress.

Smoking

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to The Khan Review: Making Smoking Obsolete published 9 June 2022, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of implementing any of the outstanding recommendations in that review.

Neil O'Brien: The Government carefully considered and assessed all of the recommendations in the Khan Review. In the package of new action that was announced on 11 April, we have committed to implement several of these recommendations. This included significant new funding to reduce smoking, a national vaping swap to stop scheme and a financial incentives scheme for all pregnant smokers. It also included funding to tackle illicit vaping and new measures to address youth vaping.

HIV Infection: Integrated Care Systems

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason potential issues relating to the location of (a) HIV and (b) other specialised services in integrated care systems were not addressed in the report entitled Hewitt Review: an independent review of integrated care systems, published on 4 April 2023.

Helen Whately: As this was an independent review, it was a matter for the Rt. hon. Patricia Hewitt to determine the topics and issues addressed in her report, within the scope set by her terms of reference.The terms of reference are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hewitt-review-terms-of-reference/hewitt-review-terms-of-reference

Dental Services: Standards

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to address the shortage of NHS dental appointments.

Neil O'Brien: In July 2022, we announced a package of improvements to the National Health Service dental system, detailed in ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlined the steps we are taking to meet oral health need and increase access to dental care. The changes we have implemented include a contractual requirement for NHS dentists to keep their NHS.UK profiles up to date to make it easier for patients to seek treatment, improvements to ensure dentists are renumerated fairly for more complex work, and greater flexibility to reallocate resources and to utilise dentists with greater capacity to deliver NHS treatment, while enabling full use of the dental team.These changes came into effect towards the end of 2022. NHS England have published additional guidance for dentists and commissioners as part of this package. Patients who are struggling to find a local dentist can contact NHS England’s Customer Contact Centre for assistance or contact NHS 111 if seeking urgent care. We know we need to do more and we are working with NHS England and stakeholders to consider additional reforms of the NHS dental system coming shortly this year.

Dentistry: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had discussions  with Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board on establishing a centre for dental development in York.

Neil O'Brien: Health Education England’s Advancing Dental Care report outlined the concept of centres for dental development, to bring together both training and National Health Service dental provision in areas with low access and recruitment and retention difficulties.No discussions have been had with Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board at this stage. Centres for dental development are envisaged to be designed according to local population oral health need, and accordingly developed between integrated care boards (ICBs) such as Humber and North Yorkshire and NHS England, who will be publishing guidance for ICBs later this year.

Dentistry: Higher Education

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of dentistry places at universities; and whether he plans to introduce incentives to help ensure dentistry graduates work in the NHS.

Neil O'Brien: We will continue to ensure that numbers of dental school places are in line with England’s workforce requirements. Health Education England undertook a three-year review of education and training as part of their September 2021 Advancing Dental Care Review, which they are now implementing through their four year Dental Education Reform Programme to improve recruitment and retention.We announced a package of changes last year which ensure dentists are more fairly rewarded for the National Health Service care that they deliver, making NHS dentistry a more attractive place for dentists and their teams to work. We know that we must go further, which is why we are again working with the sector and NHS England to consider further changes to improve the system. We will announce these changes shortly.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in (a) Walsall and (b) England and Wales tested positive for covid-19 in (i) October 2022, (ii) January 2023 and (iii) the most recent 30-day period for which figures are available.

Maria Caulfield: To provide more accurate data on COVID-19 infections and avoid double counting cases, if a person tests positive multiple times within a certain time period, these are all counted as a single case of COVID-19. In England this period is 90 days, and in Wales 42 days.For Walsall, in October 2022 there were 952 cases of COVID-19 detected. In January 2023 there were 468 cases of COVID-19 detected. In the 30-day period between 14 March 2023 and 12 April 2023 there were 404 new cases of COVID-19 detected.For England and Wales, in October 2022 there were 217,044 cases of COVID-19 detected. In January 2023 there were 83,659 new cases of COVID-19 detected. In the 30-day period between 14 March 2023 and 12 April 2023 there were 92,736 new cases of COVID-19 detected.

Hospitals: Coronavirus

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in (a) Walsall and (b) England and Wales were admitted to hospital as a result of covid-19 infection or associated complications in (i) October 2022, (ii) January 2023 and (iii) the most recent 30-day period for which figures are available.

Maria Caulfield: We do not hold the data in the format requested for people in Walsall being admitted to hospital, however we do hold the data by National Health Service trust. The most relevant trust for the question asked would be Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust and this data is provided below.For Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, in October 2022, 187 people were admitted to hospital with or for COVID-19. In January 2023, 77 people were admitted to hospital with or for COVID-19. In the 30-day period from 12 March to 10 April 2023, 144 people were admitted to hospital with or for COVID-19For England and Wales, in October 2022, 31,613 people were admitted to hospital with or for COVID-19. In January 2023, 21,033 people were admitted to hospital with or for COVID-19. In the 30-day period from 12 March to 10 April 2023, 24,989 people were admitted to hospital with or for COVID-19.

Coronavirus: Death

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many deaths recorded in (a) England and Wales and (b) Walsall were attributed to covid-19 in (i) October 2022, (ii) January 2023 and (iii) the most recent 30-day period for which figures are available.

Maria Caulfield: It should be noted that UK Health Security Agency have two measures of death associated with COVID-19, any death that has a positive COVID-19 test in the preceding 28 days, and deaths which have COVID-19 recorded on their death registration.For England and Wales, in October 2022 there were 4,223 deaths recorded within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test and 2,573 deaths were recorded with COVID-19 on the death registration. In January 2023 there were 4,063 deaths recorded within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test and 3,380 deaths were recorded with COVID-19 on the death registration. In the 30 day period between 12 March 2023 and 10 April 2023 there were 3,366 deaths were recorded within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test and 1,704 deaths were recorded with COVID-19 on the death registrationFor Walsall, in October 2022 20 deaths were recorded within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test and 17 deaths were recorded with COVID-19 on the death registration. In January 2023, 27 deaths were recorded within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test and 14 deaths were recorded with COVID-19 on the death registration. In the 30 day period between 12 March 2023 and 10 April 2023, 22 deaths were recorded within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test and four deaths were recorded with COVID-19 on the death registration.

Coronavirus: Death

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of trends in the level of (a) covid-19 infection, (b) admissions to hospital as a result of covid-19 infection or related complications and (c) deaths attributed to covid-19 in the last six months.

Maria Caulfield: UK Health Security Agency are continually monitoring trends in COVID-19, to inform the Government on the spread, severity and impact of COVID-19. Long term trends must be interpreted with caution, as they can be affected by changes in dominant variant, timing of vaccine booster campaigns, seasonality, and changes to testing policy.Over the last six months, trends have shown that cases of COVID-19 are seen to increase approximately every three months before returning to a baseline. This was seen over the Christmas period, and there has been a slow increase over March that has returned to baseline. Overall, the peaks are smaller than those seen in previous waves, peaking at 8,236 cases per day in December 2022 compared to a peak of 30,388 in July 2022.Hospital admission due to COVID-19 tend to mirror cases of COVID-19. Over the last six months there have been peaks in hospital admissions over the Christmas period and a slow increase over March that has begun to decrease. Admissions peaks are similar or smaller than those seen previously, peaking at 1,376 admissions per day in December 2022, 1,418, in October 2022 and 2,005 in July 2022.For deaths attributed to COVID-19, where COVID-19 is recorded on the death certificate/registration, over the last six months there has been an increase in deaths over the early January period, and a slow increase in April 2023. Peaks in deaths have been similar or lower to those seen previously, peaking at 126 per day in Jan 2023, 111 in Oct 2022, and 189 in July 2022.

HIV Infection: Preventive Medicine and Screening

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to ensure that funding for HIV (a) testing and (b) prevention is not allocated from funding for HIV care.

Neil O'Brien: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment and care, including its funding, fall under NHS England’s responsibility. The main funding for HIV testing and prevention is provided to local authorities in England through the public health grant, funded at £3.5 billion in 2023/24, through which they are mandated to commission comprehensive open access to most sexual health services, including free and confidential HIV testing, and provision of the HIV prevention drug PrEP. It is for individual local authorities to decide their spending priorities based on an assessment of local need and to commission the service lines that best suit their population.This is further supported by national initiatives under the Government’s HIV Action Plan. As part of the Plan, NHS England is investing £20 million over three years to implement opt-out HIV testing in Emergency Departments in local areas with extremely high HIV prevalence. This funding was not allocated from funding for HIV care. The Department is also investing over £3.5 million from 2021 to 2024 to deliver the National HIV Prevention Programme, to work alongside local prevention activities by developing resources for populations most affected by HIV.

Dentistry

Bob Seely: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make a statement on dentistry.

Neil O'Brien: In July 2022 the Department announced a package of improvements to the National Health Service dental system, detailed in ‘Our plan for patients’, many of which came into effect before the end of 2022. We know that we must go further, which is why we are again working with the sector and NHS England to consider further changes to improve the system. We will announce these changes shortly.

Care Quality Commission: Finance

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department provided to the Care Quality Commission in real terms accounting for inflation in each year since 2010.

Maria Caulfield: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is funded primarily by fees collected from the health and adult social care providers it registers and regulates.The following table shows the funding the Department allocated directly to CQC in each year since 2013. The second row is what this funding would be worth today, based on 2021/22 prices, which are in turn based on the Government’s most recent Gross Domestic Product deflators, published on 31 March 2023.The Department is required to keep detailed financial records for six years; therefore, information prior to 2013 is not held centrally. CQC funding (million)CQC funding (million in 2021/22 prices)2013/201487.3101.72014/2015126.0145.22015/2016135.0154.42016/201781.791.52017/201843.147.52018/201939.542.82019/202036.438.42020/202131.731.52021/202232.232.2

Processed Food: Standards

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with NHS England on the introduction of dietary guidelines on ultra-processed foods.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of percentage targets to reduce consumption of ultra-processed food.

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle the health impacts of ultra-processed foods on children and families with low incomes.

Neil O'Brien: The Government encourages everyone to have a healthy, balanced diet in line with the United Kingdom’s healthy eating model, the Eatwell Guide, which shows that foods high in fat, salt or sugar should be eaten less often or in small amounts. UK Government dietary guidelines are based on recommendations from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN). SACN is currently carrying out a scoping review of the evidence on processed foods and health and aims to publish its initial assessment in the summer of 2023.There is currently no universally agreed definition of ultra-processed foods. However, a diet high in foods classified as processed is often high in calories, salt, saturated fat and sugar and low in fibre, fruit and vegetables, which is associated with an increased risk of obesity and developing chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers. We have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on improving health and wellbeing, including measures to improve diets. Restrictions on the placement of products high in fat, salt or sugar in key selling locations in store and online came into force on 1 October 2022. We are also working with the food industry to make further progress on reformulation and ensure it is easier for people to make healthier choices. There have been no discussions with NHS England on the introduction of dietary guidelines on ultra-processed foods.

Treasury

Affordable Housing: Finance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons no funding was included in the Spring Budget for the community housing sector; if he will define Community Housing Fund funding as capital funding; and if he will make a statement.

John Glen: The government recognises the benefits of community-led housing. The sector receives support through the £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) 2021-26, through which groups - or their partner organisations - registered as providers of social housing may apply for capital grants to support affordable housing. This is the largest investment in affordable housing in a decade. This is in addition to the £227 million which was made available through the Community Housing Fund, which was launched in 2016 and comprised capital and revenue grants.

Research and Development Tax Credit

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of HMRC’s processes for carrying out compliance checks into research and development tax relief claims.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to improve HMRC’s processes for carrying out compliance checks into research and development tax relief claims.

Victoria Atkins: In response to the R&D review announced at Spring Budget 2021, the government announced a package of measures to target abuse and improve compliance. All claims for accounting periods beginning on or after 1 April 2023 will have to be notified in advance. Claims made on or after 1 August 2023 must be made digitally, include more details about the expenditure, be endorsed by a named senior officer of the company and include details of the individual agent who has advised the company on the claims. These changes are designed to make it easier for HMRC to identify spurious claims. All R&D claims go through a risk screening process before the payment process. Where risks are identified, HMRC opens enquires into those claims following the HMRC Enquiry manual, a detailed guidance framework on conducting compliance checks. Assurance assessments of the checks are applied, and senior technical resource undertake the compliance checks on the more complex risks. HMRC has doubled its dedicated specialist resource over the last three years undertaking R&D compliance checks, alongside the creation of the Anti-Abuse Unit (AAU) which was announced at Autumn Budget 2021. The AAU, working across HMRC, will focus on the most complex cases to quickly and effectively identify deliberately incorrect claims whilst simultaneously increasing HMRC’s efforts to educate, encourage and facilitate genuine businesses to get it right first time. HMRC has processes in place to help prevent fraud relating to R&D relief. There is a balance between making sure those who are entitled to claim can do so easily, whilst also preventing those who are not entitled to claim from accessing the relief. To improve compliance processes HMRC has established a threat risk assessment programme for all R&D claims, installed additional payment and verification controls and issued over 2,000 warning letters to high-risk claimants asking for more information to validate their claims. HMRC balances the need for these compliance checks with ensuring that legitimate claims are paid out quickly.

Sheep Meat: Overseas Trade

Ben Lake: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many tonnes of sheep meat were (a) imported to the UK and (b) exported from the UK in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the collection and publication of data on imports and exports of goods to and from the UK. HMRC releases this information monthly, as a National Statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics (OTS), which is available via their dedicated website (www.uktradeinfo.com). Classification codes (according to the Harmonised System) are available to assist in accessing published trade statistics data in the UK Global Tariff.  Goods moving to and from the UK are identified by an eight-digit commodity code. These are publicly available from the UK Trade Tariff. The meat of sheep is classified under heading 0204. Subcategories of this code include various cuts of sheep and distinguish between frozen, fresh and chilled. Items containing prepared meats are in other chapters for example sausages are listed within heading 16XX. The amount of sheep meat exported from and imported to the UK for the last five years is available from the above uktradeinfo website.

Pet Foods: VAT

Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent representations he has received from stakeholders on reducing the rate of VAT on pet foods; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: VAT has been designed as a broad-based tax on consumption, and the twenty per cent standard rate applies to many goods and services, including pet food. The Government keeps all taxes under review and continues to welcome representations on how the tax system can be improved.

Customs

Richard Thomson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with HM Revenue and Customs on appropriate delivery of the Single Trade Window.

Ruth Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs on ensuring effective delivery of the Single Trade Window.

Victoria Atkins: HM Treasury has worked closely with HMRC on the design and delivery of the new Single Trade Window and the timetable for its implementation. Further details on the delivery of the service, and its role in supporting trade and the wider economy, is set out in the Border Target Operating Model, published on 5 April 2023.

Business: Taxation

Julian Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the impact on the economy of reductions in business tax.

Victoria Atkins: Assessments of the impact of the Budget are the responsibility of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). Further details can be found in the OBR’s latest Economic and Fiscal Outlook published in March 2023: https://obr.uk/efo/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-march-2023/ HMRC publishes Tax Information and Impact Notes (TIINs) alongside tax legislation that present impact assessments of tax changes. TIINs give a clear explanation of the policy objective together with details of the tax impact on the economy. Economic impact assessments in TIINs are consistent with OBR forecasts: Tax information and impact notes - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Housing: Disability

Drew Hendry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2023 to Question 120082 on Housing: Disability and with reference to VAT Notice 701/7 section 9.2, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential effect of that Guidance notice on disabled people accessing VAT relief for self-installed home disability adaptions.

Victoria Atkins: HM Treasury and HM Revenue & Customs consider equalities impacts as part of the tax policy making process, including the impacts that policy has on people with disabilities. Although there are no plans to change the scope of the VAT relief for items designed solely for use by a disabled person, all taxes and relevant guidance are kept under review.

Customs: Small Businesses

Richard Thomson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will review the Single Trade Window to ensure its implementation is small business friendly; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: The Single Trade Window (STW) will provide a simplified experience for businesses interacting with the Government. Through the STW, SMEs and other businesses will only need to submit their data once and in one place. The better use of technology and real-time data will ensure a more streamlined experience at the border and a reduction in the barriers which businesses, including SMEs, may face when trading globally. The Government will continue to engage regularly with the border industry to ensure that the design and delivery of the STW take account of the needs of all businesses, including SMEs.

Sanctions: Russia

Alex Sobel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to enforce sanctions on businesses trading with Russia; and whether her Department is taking steps to help tackle the shipment of goods by Mykines Corporation LLP to Russia.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC is responsible for enforcing export controls on strategic goods and sanctions and investigating potential breaches of those controls; a role it takes very seriously.HMRC considers all credible information it receives and takes action accordingly. However, HMRC is unable to comment on specific cases.

High Income Child Benefit Tax Charge: Lone Parents

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the number of single income households paying the High Income Child Benefit Charge.

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the High Income Child Benefit Charge on single income households; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of determining eligibility for child benefit with reference to overall household income rather than income of the highest earner in a household.

Victoria Atkins: The High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) is a tax charge which was introduced in 2013 for recipients of Child Benefit payments on higher incomes. The HICBC applies to Child Benefit recipients who have, or whose partner has, an income of £50,000, regardless of family makeup. An estimate of the number of single-parent households paying the tax charge is not available as HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not routinely collect information on people’s marital status or the circumstances of individuals in a household.

Sports: Clothing

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the impact of charging VAT on children's sportswear on (a) community sports clubs and (b) parents.

Victoria Atkins: Under the current VAT rules, all children’s clothing and footwear designed for young children who are less than 14 years of age, including sportswear, attract a zero-rate of VAT, meaning that no VAT is charged on the sale of these items. There are no plans to make changes here. The Government keeps all taxes under review.

Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Services: VAT

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing VAT on veterinary (a) services and (b) medicines for 12 months and then undertaking a review of that policy; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of that policy on costs for pet owners.

Victoria Atkins: VAT has been designed as a broad-based tax on consumption, and the twenty per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services, including veterinary medicines and veterinary services. While there are exceptions to the standard rate, these have always been strictly limited by both legal and fiscal considerations.Although all taxes are kept under review, the Government has no plans to change the VAT treatment of veterinary services or medicines.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Janet Daby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of reducing the rate of VAT on public charging points for electric vehicles to five per cent.

Victoria Atkins: Introducing a VAT relief for public electric vehicle (EV) charging would impose additional pressure on the public finances, to which VAT makes a significant contribution. Although there are no current plans to change the VAT treatment of electricity supplied at public EV charge points, the Government is committed to supporting the transition to zero emission vehicles to help the UK meet its net zero obligations. The Government has already spent over £2 billion to support the transition. This funding has focused on reducing barriers to the adoption of such vehicles, including offsetting their higher upfront cost and accelerating the rollout of chargepoint infrastructure.

Small Businesses: Taxation

Emma Hardy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing statutory provisions to enable small businesses to pay their taxes in flexible instalments.

Victoria Atkins: Small businesses are already able to pay their taxes in flexible instalments. There is flexibility in Value Added Tax (VAT), Pay as You Earn (PAYE) Income Tax, and Income Tax Self-Assessment (ITSA). The VAT Annual Accounting Scheme, open to all businesses with taxable supplies of less than £1.35 million (excluding VAT), allows small businesses to make payments on a monthly or quarterly basis. Small businesses with PAYE liabilities lower than £1,500 per month can choose whether to make quarterly payments or make monthly payments, usually in line with their real-time information returns. Small businesses with ITSA liabilities can make monthly or weekly payments toward their next ITSA bill through the Budget Payment Plan. More details are available at the following links:https://www.gov.uk/vat-annual-accounting-schemehttps://www.gov.uk/paye-for-employershttps://www.gov.uk/pay-self-assessment-tax-bill/pay-weekly-monthly

Video Games: Tax Allowances

Matt Western: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what guidance his Department issues on the liability to corporation tax of the video games expenditure credit.

Victoria Atkins: The government will set out the detail of the Video Games Expenditure Credit (VGEC) alongside draft legislation in Summer 2023 and welcomes feedback. After this is published, the government will provide thorough guidance and education about how VGEC will work.  It was announced at Spring Budget 2023 that VGEC will be introduced from 1 January 2024. VGEC will be calculated directly from qualifying expenditure and have a credit rate of 34%, which will provide a greater benefit than the current Video Games Tax Relief. The expenditure credit model will also provide businesses with greater clarity about the amount of credit they can expect to receive and greater flexibility over production decisions. In addition, this reform will ensure video games tax relief continues to work as intended following the implementation of the OECD ‘Pillar 2’ rules in the UK and elsewhere. VGEC will be modelled after the R&D Expenditure Credit (RDEC). The credit will be liable to Corporation Tax, like RDEC, and this was taken into account when the credit rate was set at 34%.

Tax Avoidance

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of an independent investigation into the (a) Loan Charge, (b) conduct of HM Revenue and Customs in relation to that Charge and (c) consequences of that conduct for people subject to that Charge.

Victoria Atkins: I refer the Hon Member to the answer that I gave on 16 March to the Hon Member for Portsmouth South, UIN 162282.

Business Rates: Valuation

Feryal Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the impact of incorrect valuations by the Valuation Office Agency on the ability of businesses to claim small business rate relief.

Victoria Atkins: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is responsible for assessing the Rateable Value (RV) of non-domestic properties for business rates purposes. They are not responsible for administering small business rates relief and therefore do not record such information. Local councils are responsible for calculating business rates bills, which they do so by considering a property’s RV, the ‘non-domestic rating multiplier’ set by parliament, and any appropriate reliefs (including small business rates relief). If a ratepayer is concerned the information the VOA hold about their property or the valuation is incorrect, they can check, and challenge the RV using the Check Challenge, Appeal service. Further details can be found at: www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-check-your-rateable-value-is-correct. The VOA has a statutory duty to maintain an accurate Rating List. If they become aware of inaccuracies, they will investigate and take action to amend valuations where appropriate.

Valuation Office Agency: Telephone Services

Feryal Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many calls to the Valuation Office Agency hotline (a) were made in total, (b) were not answered, (c) involved the caller being on hold for more than 10 minutes and (d) were terminated following the caller being on hold for more than 10 minutes in each of the last 12 months.

Victoria Atkins: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) does not publish this level of data. A high-level summary of call volumes, digital contact and timeliness will be published in due course in the VOA’s 2022-23 Annual Report and Accounts.

Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

Feryal Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of calls to each HMRC customer service hotline (a) were made in total, (b) were not answered, (c) involved the caller being on hold for more than 10 minutes and (d) were terminated following the caller being on hold for more than 10 minutes in each of the last 12 months.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC publishes the information requested by the Hon. Member monthly and quarterly as below. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-quarterly-performance-updates

Revenue and Customs: Complaints

Feryal Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the HMRC complaints process; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC aim to get their services right for customers first time. They also prioritise a straightforward and accessible complaints process that acknowledges where mistakes are made, puts things right as soon as possible and learns from customer feedback. HMRC works collaboratively with the independent Adjudicator to learn from complaint insight, and they have improved complaint processes in recent years. HMRC’s approach to complaints is aligned with the recently launched Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s UK Central Government Complaint Standards, which were developed in collaboration with Government departments. HMRC is committed to delivering performance improvements to complaints handling and response times for customers.

Revenue and Customs: Complaints

Feryal Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many complaints were (a) received and (b) resolved by HMRC in each month of each of the last five years.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average time was for HMRC to resolve a complaint in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: Monthly performance data is published on GOV.UK. Volumes of complaints received, and outcomes can be viewed in the supporting data tables. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports The average time taken to resolve complaints is not included in the monthly performance reports, however it is published in the HMRC report and accounts. Links to the latest report and accounts are provided below. HMRC annual report and accounts: 2021 to 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)HMRC annual report and accounts: 2020 to 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)HMRC annual report and accounts: 2019 to 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

Feryal Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of calls to the HMRC MP hotline (a) were made in total, (b) were not answered, (c) involved the caller being on hold for more than 10 minutes and (d) were terminated following the caller being on hold for more than 10 minutes in each of the last 12 months.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC publishes monthly and quarterly performance data on GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-monthly-performance-reports https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-quarterly-performance-updates

Aviation: Fuels

Sir Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a price stability mechanism, such as a contracts-for-difference scheme similar to that used in wind power generation, to encourage the production of sustainable aviation fuel production in the UK.

Sir Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential value of the sustainable aviation fuel sector to the UK economy.

James Cartlidge: The government is committed to supporting the uptake of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF). The UK’s SAF programme is one of the most comprehensive in the world, that includes the £180 million Advanced Fuels Fund and an ambitious SAF mandate which other low carbon technologies do not have. On 17 April, we published a government response to an independent report on a UK SAF industry. It sets out how we are already taking action to address many of the report’s recommendations. We have committed to continue working with industry to consider the case for broader support alongside the AFF and the SAF mandate from 2025 (that will provide a long-term investment signal and price support), with a focus on industry funded intervention, to increase revenue certainty for UK SAF plants. If required following that work, we will launch a formal consultation this summer.

Child Trust Fund

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to help ensure that unclaimed mature Child Trust Funds are claimed by account holders.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the number of account holders with unclaimed mature Child Trust Funds broken down by (a) region, (b) gender, (c) ethnicity, (d) disability and (e) income decile.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the National Audit Office report entitled Investigation into Child Trust Funds published on 14 March 2023, for what reason the Government has not planned to commission additional data collection to enable an evaluation of the Child Trust Fund scheme.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to increase children's and young people's awareness of Child Trust Funds.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to simplify the process by which families of children with terminal health conditions may access Child Trust Funds.

Andrew Griffith: HMRC has worked closely with Child Trust Fund (CTF) providers, the wider industry and the Money and Pensions Service to ensure that young people are aware of, and can access, their CTFs.HMRC has:· required CTF providers to write to their customers informing them of their options in their 17th year and to provide statements annually after the account holder turns 18.· worked closely with CTF providers to ensure they are meeting regulatory requirements to communicate with CTF customers approaching and reaching maturity.· developed and improved the ‘Find my CTF’ service on GOV.uk to help customers locate their account.· added information to the National Insurance Notification (NINO) letter, which is sent out prior to a child’s 16th birthday, to raise awareness of the CTF scheme with children in the appropriate age bracket· issued a range of communications through regular press releases and social media posts.Children with maturing CTFs also receive a significant amount of written information pertaining to their account directly from their account provider.   Information on the number of CTFs that have matured and were recorded as continuing as of the 5th of April 2021 is available in HMRC Annual Savings Statistics: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-savings-statistics-2022.We cannot provide an estimate of the number of mature continuing CTFs by region, disability, or ethnicity as we do not hold that data.Estimates of the number of mature continuing CTFs by gender or income decile can only be provided at a disproportionate cost.The scheme has been closed to new entrants for over 12 years. In this time HMRC has been focusing resources on evaluating and improving existing schemes. We will continue to keep the need to evaluate old schemes under review.The process for accessing CTF accounts for terminally ill children is kept as simple as possible, while protecting the interests of the child. Only a person with parental responsibility can take money out of a terminally ill child’s account.To access the CTF of a child with a terminal illness, the parent or guardian completes an application form on Gov.uk and provides evidence of receipt of terminal illness benefit from the Department of Work and Pensions or Social Security Scotland. If they are not receiving any such benefit, they can provide evidence from a medical practitioner about the child’s illness.

Cash Dispensing: Fees and Charges

Dan Carden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment his Department has made of the trends in the number of free-to-use ATMs in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency and (b) England.

Dan Carden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to help protect free access to cash.

Andrew Griffith: The government recognises that while the transition towards digital payments brings many opportunities, cash continues to be used by many people across the UK, including those who may be in vulnerable groups. The government is currently taking legislation to protect access to cash across the UK through Parliament as part of the Financial Services and Markets Bill 2022. The legislation will establish the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as the lead regulator for access to cash with responsibility and powers to seek to ensure reasonable provision of withdrawal and deposit facilities. The FCA will consult on its regulatory approach in due course. With regards to the provision of free-to-use ATMs, LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) has made commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs and is held to account against these commitments by the Payment Systems Regulator. LINK publishes a Monthly ATM Footprint Report and information on the number of ATMs by constituency. According to LINK data for February 2023, there were over 31,000 free-to-use ATMs in England, including 67 free-to-use ATMs in the constituency of Liverpool, Walton. Further information is available at: https://www.link.co.uk/initiatives/financial-inclusion-monthly-report/

Electronic Funds Transfer: Fraud

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of authorised push payment scams that originate through online platforms.

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to tackle authorised push payment fraud.

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to support victims of authorised push payment fraud.

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with social media platforms on fraud carried out on their platforms.

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an estimate of the operational and administrative costs of a mandatory contingent reimbursement model for victims of authorised push payment fraud.

Andrew Griffith: The Government takes the issue of authorised push payment (APP) fraud very seriously. That is why the Government has introduced legislation as part of the Financial Services & Markets Bill to enable the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) to require payment service providers (including banks) to reimburse APP scam victims, and placed a duty on the PSR to act in relation to the Faster Payments system (over which vast majority of APP scams currently occur) within 6 months of the legislation coming into force. This will ensure more consistent and comprehensive reimbursement for APP scam victims. The Payment Systems Regulator is responsible for the design of the reimbursement requirement, and published a Cost Benefit Analysis alongside its most recent consultation on its approach to APP scam reimbursement, published September 2022. The Government recognises that many sectors have a role to play in preventing fraud, and that some scams originate via social media platforms. By including the fraudulent advertising duty in the Online Safety Bill, the Government is introducing new obligations on online platforms to establish systems and process that prevent users encountering fraudulent content on their sites. If platforms do not comply with this, they could face fines of up to £18 million or 10% of their annual turnover, whichever is higher. The Home Office will publish the Government’s broader Fraud Strategy shortly. The Strategy will set out the Government’s comprehensive efforts to combat fraud, prosecute criminals, and protect customers. Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

Debts: Developing Countries

Hilary Benn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of changes in bond yields for lower income countries’ debt and for actions on global debt relief.

Andrew Griffith: The impact of changes in bond yields for lower income countries’ debt will depend on the terms of that debt, and any new debt taken on, by those countries. Many lower income countries do not currently borrow from bond markets, external borrowing instead being a mix of commercial, bilateral official and multilateral development banks (MDBs) and the IMF lending, some of which is on concessional terms i.e. at subsidised interest rates. Those with the highest risk of debt distress receive grants from the MDBs. The Government will continue to work with its international partners in the Paris Club and the G20 to urgently address debt vulnerabilities in low-income countries.

Debts: Developing Countries

Liam Byrne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Seventh Report of the International Development Committee entitled Debt relief in low-income countries published on 10 March 2023, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of that report's recommendations on consulting on the introduction of legislation to compel or incentivise participation of private creditors in the Common Framework.

Andrew Griffith: The government will be responding to the International Development Committee’s recent inquiry into debt-relief in low-income countries in due course, including their recommendation on consulting on the introduction of legislation to compel or incentivise participation of private creditors in the Common Framework. The UK, alongside the G20 and Paris Club, have been clear that private creditors will be expected to participate in the Common Framework on terms at least as favourable as bilateral (i.e. country) creditors.

Apprentices: Taxation

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to prevent employers from taking Apprenticeship Levy contributions from agency workers' pay.

John Glen: Some agencies may show the fees they receive from end clients for supplying a worker, and the deductions made from these fees, on the workers’ payslips. As this appears alongside a worker’s usual Income Tax and employee NICs deductions, it can incorrectly give the impression that the agency’s costs have been deducted from the worker’s wages as well as their own tax and employee NICs. In April 2020, the government introduced Key Information Documents for agency workers to set out details about their engagements, including rates of pay. This allows workers to see how deductions and fees are made through the labour supply chain and how this affects their gross pay and net pay, as well as details of holiday pay and other benefits.

Ministry of Defence

Military Bases: Boilers

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many of the boilers replaced in (a) Service Family Accommodation and (b) Single Living Accommodation in the Financial Year 2022-23 were gas boilers.

Dr Andrew Murrison: 1,257 out of the total number of 1,446 boilers replaced in Service Family Accommodation (SFA) in the financial year 2022-23 were gas.Data for boilers in Single Living Accommodation (SLA) is not held centrally; the information requested can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces Families Fund

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many applications to the armed forces families fund were (a) received, (b) approved and (c) declined since its launch in September 2022.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the armed forces families fund is budgeted by (a) financial or (b) calendar year.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for how long his Department plans to provide funding to the armed forces families fund.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful applications were made to the armed forces families fund from each region since the establishment of that fund.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful applications were made to the armed forces families fund by service type since the establishment of that fund.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Armed Forces Families Fund is managed and administered by the Armed Forces Covenant Trust (AFCT) on behalf of Defence who fund the scheme. Defence sets the themes for the scheme’s funding criteria, which is then delivered by the AFCT. The funding is based on financial rather than calendar years and is subject to the same annual budgetary cycle checks and assurances as all other expenditure within Defence. The first round of funding concluded in March this year and publicly available details on the applications and funding were released by the AFCT (see link: https://covenantfund.org.uk/projects-weve-supported/) which showed:Early Years programme: 18 grants totalling £903,546Supporting Partners programme: 12 grants totalling £483,144Education Support programme: 54 grants totalling £2,045,593 In addition, a grant of £119,647 was awarded to SSAFA over a two-year period for the e-Redbook project.

Capita: Cybercrime

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the cyber attack against Capita on 31 March 2023, whether his Department has launched an investigation into whether any Armed Forces recruitment databases were compromised during the attack.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the cyber attack against Capita on 31 March 2023, on what dates did his Department speak with Capita about the attack and its potential impact on his Department.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference the cyber attack against Capita on 31 March 2023, whether any personal information of Armed Forces recruits was compromised during that attack.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Department was notified by Capita on Friday 31 March of the disruption to their IT systems, and is currently investigating this incident in collaboration with Capita to understand the scale and impact. I can confirm that Army recruiting operations continue to operate as normal. The Department places the highest importance on the security of its data and has robust procedures in place to ensure adherence to the highest standards of data protection.

Armed Forces: Private Education

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what was the cost to the public purse of private school fees for children of civilian employees in the financial year 2022-23; and and if he will provide a breakdown by pay grade of those who claimed that funding.

Dr Andrew Murrison: From 31 March 2022 to 31 March 2023 £369,810.65 has been paid for the provision of boarding school or day school allowance in areas where there are no MOD schools or the curriculum does not provide appropriate courses. The pay grade of staff who have claimed this allowance are broken down in the table below. Please note that ~ denotes a number fewer than 5. GradeNumberHead Teacher~Assistant Head Teacher~Teacher10SEO~HEO~Engineer~Physiotherapist~Education~

Armed Forces: Pay

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of when the (a) Armed Forces Pay Review Body and (b) Senior Salaries Review Body will deliver their 2023 reports to his Department.

Dr Andrew Murrison: As outlined in the Defence Secretary's remit letter to the Armed Forces' Pay Review Body (AFPRB), he expects to receive their report by the end of May: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/remit-letter-to-the-armed-forces-pay-review-body-2023-to-2024/afprb-remit-letter-from-the-defence-secretary-2023-to-2024. The Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) report is also expected by the end of May.

Armed Forces: Scotland

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April to Question 175746 on Armed Forces: Scotland, how many military personnel based and resident in Scotland there are of each rank.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The attached supporting table details the number of military personnel based and resident in Scotland by rank.Numbers of Military Personnel based in Scotland (xlsx, 15.7KB)

Ministry of Defence: Data Protection

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Ministry of Defence Personal Data Related Incidents occured in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.

Dr Andrew Murrison: 546 personal data related incidents occurred within the Ministry of Defence (MOD) in 2022, and 142 have occurred up to and including 31 March 2023. This information is also published in the MOD Annual Reports and Accounts by Financial Year - please see 20220714_MOD-ARA_2021-22_PRINT.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk) (pages 67-69) for the most recent iteration.The MOD takes the security of its personnel, data and establishments very seriously. Every data incident reported, including near misses, is investigated to determine the root cause and the MOD Data Protection Officer's team works with business areas to reduce the likelihood of re-occurrence. As most of the incidents relate to human error, training and awareness activities are regularly undertaken to continuously improve staff knowledge and understanding of the data protection principles and the processes and procedures that must be followed to secure data.

Armed Forces: Depleted Uranium

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made any compensation payments for illnesses relating to exposure of UK armed forces personnel to depleted uranium.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. To determine the number of claims that were due to exposure of depleted uranium would require a manual search of hardcopy files which would be over the appropriate cost limit.

Military Bases: Asylum

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Oral Statement of 29 March 2023 by the Minister for Immigration, on Illegal Migration Update, Official Report, column 1018, whether his Department is aware of any issues related to (a) single living accommodation and (b) service family accommodation in military bases to be used to house asylum seekers in (i) Essex; (ii) Lincolnshire; (iii) East Sussex and (iv) Catterick.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The accommodation at RAF Scampton and MDP Wethersfield is in various states of repair depending on how recently it has been used. Provision of accommodation for asylum seekers at these sites, including any decisions on use of the existing infrastructure, are a matter for the Home Office. The Home Office is working to bring forward proposals for accommodation in Catterick in due course. The MOD is not in discussion with Home Office regarding any Defence sites in East Sussex.

Ajax Vehicles

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 19 May 2022 entitled Ajax Update, HCWS42, whether any additional personnel who worked with Ajax have had long-term restrictions on noise exposure recommended.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 19 May 2022 entitled Ajax Update, HCWS42, whether any additional personnel who worked with Ajax have been placed under specialist outpatient care for (a) hearing and (b) other ear, nose and throat issues.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 19 May 2022 entitled Ajax Update, HCWS42, whether any additional personnel who worked with Ajax have been discharged on health grounds.

Dr Andrew Murrison: My hon. Friend, the Minister for Defence Procurement (James Cartlidge) will write to the right hon. Member shortly to answer these questions and will place a copy of his letter in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Housing

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel at (a) St George’s Barracks, (b) Kendrew Barracks and (c) RAF Wittering are living in grade 4 rated service accommodation.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Once Ministry of Defence officials have finalised collation of the necessary information my hon. Friend, the Minister for Defence Procurement, will write to the right hon. Member and place a copy of his letter in the Library of the House.

Military Bases: Repairs and Maintenance

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average time taken to resolve maintenance requests was for (a) St George’s Barracks, (b) Kendrew Barracks and (c) RAF Wittering in the last six months.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Once Ministry of Defence officials have finalised collation of the necessary information my hon. Friend, the Minister for Defence Procurement, will write to the right hon. Member and place a copy of his letter in the Library of the House.

Military Bases: Repairs and Maintenance

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many of the maintenance issues related to heating and hot water reported at (a) St George’s Barracks, (b) Kendrew Barracks and (c) RAF Wittering resulted in a lack of hot water for 24 hours and more since April 2022.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Once Ministry of Defence officials have finalised collation of the necessary information my hon. Friend, the Minister for Defence Procurement, will write to the right hon. Member and place a copy of his letter in the Library of the House.

Military Bases: Repairs and Maintenance

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many callouts have been made to (a) St George’s Barracks, (b) Kendrew Barracks and (c) RAF Wittering for maintenance issues relating to (i) roofing, (ii) heating, (iii) sewage and (iv) pest control in the last 12 months.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Once Ministry of Defence officials have finalised collation of the necessary information my hon. Friend, the Minister for Defence Procurement, will write to the right hon. Member and place a copy of his letter in the Library of the House.

Veterans: Radiation Exposure

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether veterans who participated in nuclear tests in (a) Nevada and (b) AWE Aldermaston will be eligible for a Nuclear Test Veteran Medal.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether veterans who served as (a) pilots and (b) ground crew for 543 Squadron to track and photograph nuclear tests conducted by other nations will be eligible for a Nuclear Test Veteran Medal.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Nuclear Test Medal was specifically designed to recognise the unique contribution of those personnel who served at the locations in Australia and the Pacific where the UK Atmospheric Nuclear Test Programme, including the clear-up operations, took place between 1952 and 1967. The eligibility criteria for the Medal do not, therefore, include personnel who contributed to the test programme remotely from the UK, personnel who were present at underground tests in the United States, or personnel who tracked and photographed nuclear tests conducted by other nations.

Military Bases: Mould

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent in the Financial Year 2022-23 to (a) remove and (b) prevent incidents of damp and mould in (i) Service Family Accommodation and (ii) Single Living Accommodation.

Dr Andrew Murrison: In Financial Year 2022-23, £4.3 million was spent on damp and mould remediation works in Service Family Accommodation (SFA). Over the last four years, the Department has invested a total of £150 million on works to prevent incidents of damp and mould in SFA. The Ministry of Defence has a robust damp and mould management policy for SFA, and from the start of the Future Defence Infrastructure Services contract, let in April 2022, no properties with reported issues should have been allocated. Should damp and mould emerge during occupancy, we have set up a dedicated hotline for families to make a report. Reports are now investigated by a professional surveyor and, where appropriate, families should be offered alternative accommodation. Works to remove and prevent incidents of damp and mould in Single Living Accommodation (SLA) are dealt with as part of the core contract in place for the Built Estate and therefore, we are unable to provide a breakdown of the money spent on damp and mould removal or prevention.

Armed Forces Covenant

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to encourage organisations to sign the Armed Forces Covenant.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Defence has a network of Defence Relationship Management National Account Managers and Regional Employer Engagement Directors who promote the signing of the Armed Forces Covenant to the employers they work with. They also help organisations through the process of devising their bespoke pledges and arranging signing events.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people have been recruited into each service branch of the armed forces in each local authority since 2015.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence publishes the untrained intake into the UK Armed Forces by Service, by Region, and by Parliamentary Constituency in the annual 'Location Statistics for UK Regular Armed Forces and Civilians' publication. The 2022 publication, which includes data from 2015 onwards, can be found via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/location-statistics-for-uk-regular-armed-forces-and-civilians-2022

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Dr Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many applications to join the armed forces have been made in the past 12 months.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The requested information is currently undergoing a checking and verification process and publication is anticipated in the summer as an Official Statistic. The release of this data ahead of planned publication would be a breach of the Code of Practice for Statistics. When ready, the information will be published at the website of the collection of Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-index

Armed Forces: Private Education

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the maximum level of Continuity of Education Allowance payments provided by his Department was for (a) primary and (b) secondary pupils in the financial year 2022-23.

Dr Andrew Murrison: This information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. This is because the Joint Personnel Administration system does not record the stage of education on individual claims.JSP 752 details maximum rates payable per term, with effect from 1 August 2022, for each stage of education as follows:Primary £6,380Secondary £8,047The figures have been taken from the published information available on the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jsp-752-tri-service-regulations-for-expenses-and-allowances

Armed Forces: Complaints

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Special-to-Type complaints have been made each year since 2010.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Military Aid

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 29 September 2020 to Question 92728 on Military Aid, whether (a) General Abdel-Fattah Burhan and (b) General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo were among the recipients of the 16 military training courses provided in the UK to members of the Sudanese armed forces between financial years 2015-16 and 2018-19.

James Heappey: Neither General Abdel-Fattah Burhan nor General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo were among the recipients of the 16 military training courses in question, during the periods quoted.

Afghanistan: Refugees

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2023 to Question 176544 to Afghanistan: Refugees, how many of the 54 applicants that have failed to respond to several attempts to contact them have (a) dependents cleared for relocation to the UK with these principals and (b) his Department established contact with.

James Heappey: We have now re-established contact with one of the 54 ARAP eligible individuals with whom contact has been lost.Of the now 53 remaining principals, 11 have confirmed ARAP-eligible dependants with our caseworkers. We have not received details of dependants for the other 42 principals. Clearance for onward movement to the UK will be subject to Home Office visa checks.As noted in my previous response, applicants may fail to respond to our communications for a variety of reasons, such as a change in their contact details of which we were not informed. In some cases, applicants may decide to relocate elsewhere but fail to communicate that decision with us.We continue to endeavour to re-establish contact with the remaining 53 applicants so that they can continue their relocation to the UK if they still wish to do so.

Russia: NATO

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support his Department provides to NATO members with borders with Russia.

James Heappey: As NATO's leading European Ally, the UK provides substantial support to NATO Allies bordering Russia. We have strengthened our enhanced Forward Presence in Estonia by enhancing capabilities of the permanent Battlegroup for the long-term. We deployed an Aviation Task Force to Lithuania and we contribute to NATO enhanced Air Policing. We supported Finland during its accession process into NATO and we will continue to support its integration. We also share capabilities such as F-35s with Norway. Lastly, we continue to train and operate alongside all Allies in bilateral and multilateral fora.

Radioactive Waste: Dalgety Bay

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish details of the process for the off-site disposal of radioactive material upon detection and removal from the beach and foreshore as part of the current and planned the remediation works at Dalgety Bay.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The off-site disposal of radioactive material upon detection and removal from the beach and foreshore is managed through a licenced facility that has been procured by the MOD’s Prime Contractor, Balfour Beatty.

Radioactive Materials: Dalgety Bay

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to put in place a monitoring framework following the completion of the remediation works at Dalgety Bay.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Ministry of Defence Officials will continue monitoring the beach at Dalgety Bay for two years after completion of the remediation works. This has been agreed with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) in order to prove the success of the works. SEPA will take on monitoring after the ‘proving’ period is successfully completed.

Radioactive Materials: Dalgety Bay

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the allocated budget for the remediation works at Dalgety Bay has increased from the £10.5 million budget announced by his Department on 19 May 2021 to a cost of around £15 million as referenced by the Minister for Defence Procurement on 18 April 2023, Official Report, vol 731, col 61WH.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The budget of £10.5M million announced by the Ministry of Defence on 19 May 2021, was the initial value of the contract. The increase in budget to circa £15 million will include planning costs, fees and other relevant disbursements.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Dr Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average time was between the submission of an application to join the regular or reserve forces and an interview in the last twelve months.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The following information has been provided by the single Services. Naval Service The table below shows the average time taken (in days) between receipt of application and interview date between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023. Regular Other Ranks67Reserve Other Ranks73 Notes:Figures are a single service estimate and have not been validated by Analysis (Navy). Figures may not be reflective of Official Statistics. These figures cannot be compared to previously published application figures.The recruitment system changed in April last year so it has not been possible to align with information on the Joint Personnel Administration system. That also means the three services may not be aligned in what has been provided. Therefore, Royal Navy application data cannot be compared to Army or Royal Air Force.The selection process for Officers has been revised significantly over the last year, therefore it is not possible to derive any meaningful data for this population. Figures for Officers have not been supplied and therefore are not included in the Total.Average time taken is calculated as Mean days between application receipt and a date set for interview, where interview dates were set between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023.  British Army The table below shows the total applications and Time of Flight Average from Application to Army Brief and Individual Candidate Discussion, by stream.StreamAverage for last 12 months in DaysRegular Officers119Regular Other Ranks21Reserve Officers78Reserve Other Ranks39 Notes:Averages have been calculated using data from 1 April 2022 to 1 March 2023 and have been calculated using the mean.Each service has a different set of intake pathways and representative calculations have necessarily been made using the following parameters for Army: time taken from application to the Army Brief and Individual Candidate Discussion.There are several variables that may impact the time it takes to progress through the recruitment pipeline, including but are not limited to, timely individual participation in the recruitment process, medical/fitness issues, aptitude testing success, and availability of training places.The recruitment process for Officers can take significantly longer given that candidates can go to university between application and arriving at The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.Royal Air Force (RAF)The table below shows the average time (in days) between application and first interview for the RAF Regular and Reserve Forces in recruiting year 2022-23. StreamAverage for last 12 months in DaysRegular Aviator106Regular Officer120Reserve Aviator101Reserve Officer144 Notes:Figures are a single service estimate and have not been validated by Analysis (RAF). Figures may not be reflective of Official Statistics. These figures cannot be compared to previously published application figures.Averages have been calculated using data from 1 April 2022 to 1 March 2023 and have been calculated using the mean.

Official Secrets: Disclosure of Information

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on whether any UK intelligence or classified documents have been shared on online communication platforms such as Discord.

James Heappey: This information is being withheld for the purpose of safeguarding national security.Government policy is that intelligence and classified documents are not to be shared on systems that are not accredited to hold them.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Science: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether spending on Horizon was included in calculations of UK science spend prior to 2016; and whether spending on Horizon or Pioneer forms part of the Government's commitment to double science spend.

George Freeman: Department for Science, Innovation and Technology indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Copyright: Arts

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions her Department has had with creative industries on (a) licencing and copyright exceptions for text and data mining and (b) the AI Regulation White Paper in 2023.

George Freeman: Department for Science, Innovation and Technology indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Copyright: Arts

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when she plans to re-open consultation with creative industries on proposals for licensing or exceptions to copyright for text and data mining.

George Freeman: Department for Science, Innovation and Technology indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

UK Research and Innovation: Expenditure

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to page 142 of the Annual Report and Accounts 2021-22 of the UK Research and Innovation, for what reason there was a reduction in net operating expenditure from 2020-21 to 2021-22.

George Freeman: Department for Science, Innovation and Technology indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

British Antarctic Survey

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department is providing support to the British Antarctic Survey; and if she will make a statement.

George Freeman: British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is a component of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), part of UK Research and Innovation, which is an arm’s-length body of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Each year NERC invests around £38 million in BAS to deliver and enable world-leading interdisciplinary research in the polar regions. The UK invested a further £670m for modernising its Antarctica and Arctic research facilities to ensure that the UK stays at the forefront of international polar research.

Animal Experiments

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the answer of 15 February 2023 to question 141449 on Animal Experiments, what steps she has taken to engage with regulators on the development of non-animal technologies.

George Freeman: In addition to this Department, the use of animals in science touches on a number of other departmental responsibilities, including the Home Office who administer and enforce The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. Officials within these departments continue to work together to support the delivery of important scientific research, including through the development of non-animal technologies, and the protection of animals.

Animal Experiments

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the answer of 15 February 2023 to Question 141449 on Animal Experiments, what progress the Government has made on implementation of the Non-Animal Technologies Roadmap; what future steps she plans to take to implement the Roadmap; and whether she plans to publish an updated roadmap.

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the answer of 15 February 2023 to Question 141449 on Animal Experiments, and with reference to the Non-Animal Technologies Roadmap, what progress she has made on the establishment of a strategic advisory board; and whether she plans to update the Roadmap regularly.

George Freeman: The Government is committed to the development of alternatives to using animals in scientific procedures and through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funds the National Centre for the 3Rs, which works to drive the uptake of non-animal technologies. The recommendations in the Non-Animal Technologies Roadmap continue to be delivered including a £1.6 million commitment for the development of a virtual dog to help reduce the use of dogs in the safety testing of new medicines and £4.7 million funding for next generation non-animal technologies that provide reliable, predictive and cost-effective alternatives to the use of animals. Scientists and representatives from regulatory bodies are involved in these efforts to accelerate the use of non-animal technologies.

Medicine: Manufacturing Industries

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what support her Department provides for (a) medical diagnostics and (b) medicines manufacturing.

George Freeman: Public investment in our research and science base makes the UK a prime location to discover, develop and manufacture medicines, medical devices and diagnostics, particularly the cost-effective manufacture of complex medicines. This includes the UK’s world-leading network of medicines manufacturing innovation centres, which have been co-funded by Government.The Government also provides capital support for medicines and diagnostics manufacturing, including the current £60m Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF). The recently published Medical Technology Strategy, sets out the Government’s priority areas for action to support the diagnostics sector.

Horizon Europe

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to page 4 of the Pioneer Prospectus, published on 6 April, what the evidential basis is for the statement that the UK would have been a net contributor to Horizon; and whether the calculation included an assessment of the performance of Horizon 2020 UK grant recipients.

George Freeman: The UK funding share would fluctuate in Horizon Europe, based on performance. If the UK's performance over 2014-20 in Horizon 2020 was evaluated and applied to the Horizon Europe programme in terms of the announced budget and the terms of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), a net contribution of up to £3bn would be expected, based on average performance. This is relative to the £14.6bn that the full application of the TCA would have committed the UK to contribute, assuming prompt association from 2021.

Science and Technology

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what estimate his Department has made of the (a) set-up and (b) annual costs of Pioneer.

George Freeman: Specific spending profiles within the Spending Review 2021 period for Pioneer will be confirmed if the UK cannot secure association on fair and appropriate terms and once the launch date for Pioneer is known. The Government is discussing association to Horizon Europe with the EU, and hope our negotiations will be successful, that is our preference.

Science and Technology

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much and what proportion of the £14.6 billion budget for Pioneer is allocated outside of the period covered by the Spending Review 2021.

George Freeman: The Government is discussing association to Horizon Europe with the EU, and hope that negotiations will be successful. That is the Government’s preference.If the UK is unable to secure association on fair and appropriate terms, then the Government will implement Pioneer – the UK’s bold, ambitious alternative. The Government is committed to investing up to £14.6 billion in Pioneer until the end of 2027/28. Specific spending profiles within the Spending Review 2021 period for Pioneer will be confirmed if association cannot be secured on fair and appropriate terms. Specific spending Pioneer profiles beyond 2024/25 will be confirmed at future Spending Reviews.

Horizon Europe: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what her negotiating position is on the level of contribution that the UK would be willing to make to Horizon Europe.

George Freeman: The Government are discussing association to Horizon Europe with the EU and hope our negotiations will be successful. That is our preference. We will not be providing a running commentary on these discussions. Association would need to be on the basis of a good deal for the UK’s researchers, businesses and taxpayers. If we are not able to secure association on fair and appropriate terms, we will implement Pioneer – our bold, ambitious alternative.

Broadband: Enfield

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what estimate her Department has made of the number of households without fibre-optic broadband in (a) Enfield North Constituency and (b) the London Borough of Enfield as of 18th April 2023.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has plans to take steps to help improve broadband infrastructure in (a) Enfield North constituency and (b) the London Borough of Enfield .

Julia Lopez: The Government is committed to delivering nationwide gigabit connectivity as soon as possible. By 2025 the Government is targeting a minimum of 85% gigabit-capable coverage.Today, less than 8% of premises in Enfield North and 8.5 % of premises in Enfield do not have access to a gigabit-capable network; meaning the overwhelming majority - 92% of premises in Enfield North and 91.5% of premises in Enfield - already have gigabit coverage.In order to further improve connectivity in Enfield North and Enfield, we have published the Digital Connectivity Portal - extensive guidance to help local authorities facilitate broadband deployment. This includes technical information on the application of telecoms legislation, as well practical examples of best practice (such as the Street Works Toolkit for working in the country’s highways, and wayleave templates for telecoms operators to gain access to public sector land).The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology officials regularly facilitate meetings and workshops between local government and the broadband industry, to build relationships that foster more frictionless deployment. The four sub-regional partnerships across London have been vital in coordinating this work. For example, Local London, which represents the London borough of Enfield, has worked with the Government on a number of initiatives.More generally, we have made it as attractive as possible for firms to build their networks in the UK by removing barriers to rollout and working with Ofcom to promote competition and investment. As a result, there is now a thriving market of over 80 providers investing nearly £35bn rolling out gigabit broadband all over the UK.

Crime: Data Protection

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether the term crime in the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill includes fraud and scams.

Julia Lopez: Tackling fraud requires a unified and co-ordinated response from government, law enforcement and the private sector to better protect the public and businesses from fraud, reduce the impact of fraud on victims, and increase the disruption and prosecution of fraudsters. This is why we will shortly publish a new strategy to address the threat of fraud.The Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, which is currently before Parliament will make it easier for businesses to process personal data in order to tackle all types of crime, including fraud and other types of economic crime. When the Bill is commenced, they will be able to rely on a new lawful ground of ‘recognised legitimate interests’ under the UK GDPR to process personal data for these purposes. Unlike the current legislation, this will not require businesses to do a detailed assessment of the potential impact of the processing on the rights of individuals, which may affect the speed at which intelligence information relating to suspected fraud is shared.Reforms in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill will also enable businesses, in certain situations, to share information more easily for the purposes of preventing, investigating or detecting economic crime by disapplying civil liability for breaches of confidentiality for firms who share information to combat economic crime.

Department for Work and Pensions

Question

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Disability Cost of Living Payment.

Mims Davies: The Government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and has taken further, decisive action to support them providing total support of over £94bn over 2022-23 and 2023-24 to help households and individuals, including disabled people, with the rising cost of living. The Energy Price Guarantee is supporting millions of households with rising energy costs in addition to other cost of living support delivered last year, which includes:the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme;a Disability Cost of Living Payment of £150 to six million people in recognition of the extra costs they face, including with energy costs;up to £650 in Cost of Living Payments for the eight million households in receipt of a means-tested benefit;a one-off payment of £300 through, and as an addition to, the Winter Fuel Payment from November to pensioner households.For those who require additional support the current Household Support Fund, running in England from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023, is providing £421 million of funding. The devolved administrations have been allocated £79 million through the Barnett formula.The Household Support Fund will continue until March 2024. This year long extension allows Local Authorities in England to continue to provide discretionary support to those most in need with the significantly rising cost of living. The guidance for Local Authorities for this next iteration has now been published and can be found here: 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024: Household Support Fund guidance for county councils and unitary authorities in England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The Devolved Administrations will receive consequential funding as usual to spend at their discretion.This month we uprated benefit rates and State Pensions by 10.1%. In order to increase the number of households who can benefit from these uprating decisions, the benefit cap levels are also increasing by the same amount.In addition, for 2023/24, households on eligible means-tested benefits will get up to £900 in Cost of Living Payments. This will be split into three payments of around £300 each across the 2023/24 financial year. The first payment is due to be paid to eligible households from tomorrow (25th May). A separate £300 payment will be made to pensioner households on top of their Winter Fuel Payments and individuals in receipt of eligible disability benefits will receive a £150 payment. Further to this, the Energy Price Guarantee will be extended from April 2023 until the end of March 2024, meaning a typical household bill will be around £3,000 per year in Great Britain.

Department for Work and Pensions: Telephone Services

Gerald Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure its telephone lines are accessible to the public without incurring undue delays.

Mims Davies: DWP plans resourcing according to forecasted telephony demand in an effort to keep wait times down. Wait time performance and forecasted demand is frequently reviewed, and where DWP’s telephony is delivered by an outsourced provider we use the Key Performance Indicator of percentage of calls answered which are published quarterly on gov.uk.

Employment: Mothers

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to remove barriers to women returning to work after giving birth.

Mims Davies: Lots of women want to work after having children. Universal Credit is designed to ensure that women get the flexible support they need to return to work. All claimants, including women returning to work after giving birth, are set requirements that take into account their circumstances and capability, including caring responsibilities. For claimants with children aged two to four, support has also been adjusted so that these claimants are able to attend refresher training courses for up to a year, where it will improve their chance of returning to a previous occupation. Additionally, where a claimant is caring for a pre-school age child, additional safeguards apply, as such, any work-related expectations are limited. Those expected to search for work can limit the time they can spend travelling to and from work. Lead carers are given longer to attend an interview or take up work so they can arrange childcare. The Department is aware that for some UC claimants childcare costs can present a challenge for parents returning to work. To support parents when returning to work, eligible UC claimants can claim back up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month regardless of the number of hours they work.This is up to the maximum amount of £646.35 per month for one child and £1,108.04 per month for two or more children. From Summer 2023, the Department will increase the generosity of the UC childcare costs ‘caps’ (maximum amounts) - allowing parents to claim back over £300 more for one child or over £500 for two or more children of their childcare costs per month.  This will increase the caps to £950.92 for one child and £1,630.15 for two or more children. For families with two or more children, this could be worth over £19,500 a year.By September 2025, eligible working parents of children aged 9 months to when they start school will be able to get 30 hours of free childcare in England.

Children: Maintenance

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what provision he has made for the enforcement of child maintenance payment orders where the subject of the order is a director of a private limited company and receives their income payments in dividends.

Mims Davies: Where a paying parent becomes the Director of their limited liability company, they are legally an employee of that company and are treated the same as any other employee for child maintenance purposes. If the receiving parent believes that the paying parent has additional income as a result of their employment status, for example, dividends they can apply for a variation. The Financial Investigation Unit (FIU) will look into suspected fraudulent behaviour and check the accuracy of information the CMS is given. There are some paying parents who are determined to avoid their responsibility to pay for their children. These are difficult cases to pursue, however, the CMS will continue to use all available powers and tools to collect what is owed.

Auditing Yorkshire

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he is taking steps to investigate the filming of Jobcentre staff and customers in Leeds and elsewhere by Auditing Yorkshire.

Mims Davies: DWP takes the safety of its staff and customers very seriously. Filming on our premises has the potential to cause distress and undermine individual security. Incidents involving Audit Yorkshire and other similar groups are being reviewed. Where appropriate we will seek to remove Social Media footage and pursue legal action. In relation to measures to prevent filming of staff and customers within our premises, DWP maintains a policy of requiring permission for filming to take place within our premises, which after a review of legal advice, is regarded as private land. This review has made some recommendations on strengthening our response in this area. We continue to monitor the situation and are working with other Departments to align best practice in these types of incidents.

National Employment Savings Trust Corporation: Atos

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the public purse was of (a) all activities, (b) contract negotiation, (c) staffing costs and (d) general resource expenditure associated with the cancelled procurement contract between the National Employment Savings Trust and Atos since 2019; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure value for money in digital procurement.

Mims Davies: Nest Corporation is the Trustee for the scheme and is classified as a public corporation because it receives over 50% of its income from commercial activities. It is accountable to Parliament through the department, which retains a crucial role in oversight, but is generally independent of government in its day-to-day commercial decisions. As part of the department’s oversight function all costs associated with Nest’s decision to terminate the contract with Atos would be subsumed within a core staffing and resources budget with no specific allocation provided. Through activities across market engagement, procurement and contract management, DWP continually seeks to ensure value for money by planning the contractual needs, sourcing the right suppliers to meet those needs and then effectively managing the resulting contracts.

Department for Work and Pensions: Mental Illness

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of his Department's staff took a leave of absence for reasons of mental ill health between 1 May 2022 and 11 April 2023 (a) in total and (b) broken down by (i) gender (ii) age (d) UK region.

Mims Davies: Total percentage of staff who took a leave of absence for reasons of mental ill health between 01/05/22 and 11/04/23 is 8.1% GenderEmployees AbsentFemale5.5%Male2.6%Total8.1%  AgebandEmployees Absent16-240.3%25-290.9%30-340.8%35-390.9%40-440.9%45-490.9%50-541.2%55-591.3%60-640.8%65+0.2%Grand Total8.1%  UK RegionEmployees AbsentEAST MIDLANDS0.4%EAST OF ENGLAND0.4%LONDON0.8%NORTH EAST0.9%NORTH WEST1.5%NORTHERN IRELAND0.0%SCOTLAND0.8%SOUTH EAST0.6%SOUTH WEST0.5%WALES0.6%WEST MIDLANDS0.7%YORKSHIRE & THE HUMBER0.8%Grand Total8.1% Absence categories usedMental Health – Anxiety and DepressionMental Health – OtherStress

Local Housing Allowance

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to increase Local Housing Allowance in line with increases in rental prices.

Mims Davies: The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum amount of housing support for those renting in the private rented sector. LHA is not intended to meet all rents in all areas.In April 2020 Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates were raised to the 30th percentile of local market rents, a significant investment of almost £1 billion. We have maintained the increase since then so that everyone who benefited continues to do so. The Secretary of State (SoS) reviewed LHA rates in his Written Ministerial Statement on 17 November 2022 and a decision was made to maintain rates at their current level. SoS has committed to reviewing rates annually.For those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs and need further support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities. Since 2011 the Government has provided nearly £1.6 billion in DHP funding to local authorities.We recognise that rents are increasing. However, the challenging fiscal environment means that difficult decisions have been necessary to ensure support is targeted effectively. Overall, the government is providing total support of over £94bn over 2022-23 and 2023- 24 to help households and individuals with the rising cost of living.

Question

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of Housing Benefit.

Mims Davies: The level of housing support is reviewed annually through assessing the Local Housing Allowance rates and by monitoring housing welfare policy.For those who need additional support to meet their housing costs, the Household Support Fund will continue until March 2024. This year long extension allows Local Authorities in England to continue to provide discretionary support to those most in need with the significantly rising cost of living.In addition, for 2023/24, households on eligible means-tested benefits will get up to £900 in Cost of Living Payments. This will be split into three payments of around £300 each across the 2023/24 financial year. The first payment is due to be paid to eligible households from tomorrow (25th May). A separate £300 payment will be made to pensioner households on top of their Winter Fuel Payments and individuals in receipt of eligible disability benefits will receive a £150 payment. Further to this, the Energy Price Guarantee will be extended from April 2023 until the end of March 2024, meaning a typical household bill will be around £3,000 per year in Great Britain.

Parental Pay

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were in receipt of (a) Statutory Maternity Pay, (b) Statutory Paternity Pay, (c) Statutory Adoption Pay and (d) Statutory Shared Parental Pay in the 2022-23 financial year.

Mims Davies: Information provided by employers to HMRC show the number of individuals in receipt of Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP), Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP), Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP) and Statutory Shared Parental Pay (SShPP). This data provides a broad indication of take-up but does not include anyone taking unpaid leave. Data for the 2022-23 financial year is incomplete, and we therefore provide data for the 2021-22 financial year. Table 1: Individuals in receipt of SMP, SPP, SAP, SShPP in 2021/22 (the latest year for which full year data is available) No. of individuals in receipt of parental pay in 2021/22Statutory Maternity Pay636,000Statutory Paternity Pay204,200Statutory Adoption Pay4,600Statutory Shared Parental Pay13,000NotesFigures are rounded to the nearest hundred.Figures are based on the total number of individuals in a given year, irrespective of when the payment first started.

Public Lavatories: Men

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to (a) amend the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 and (b) recommend changes to the Code of Practice and Guidance published by the Health and Safety Executive to ensure provision of and access to hygiene bins in men's toilets equal to that in women's toilets.

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the oral contribution of the Leader of the House of 16 March 2023, Official Report, column 996, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring employers to ensure equal access to hygiene bins in private workplace toilets.

Mims Davies: Regulation 20 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 (‘Workplace Regulations’) state that toilets should be kept in a clean and orderly condition. The Approved Code of Practice covers provisions of a disposal method for sanitary dressings in toilets used by women. Regulation 2(3) of the Workplace Regulations aims to ensure that workplaces meet the health, safety and welfare needs of each member of the workforce, therefore, HSE believe the current Workplace Regulations are fit for purpose in this respect though they intend to consider whether the guidance regarding disposal of sanitary dressings in toilets fulfils that aim. Provisions for public toilets, including hygiene bins in men’s toilets, would be the responsibility of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).

Department for Work and Pensions: Legal Costs

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 1 March 2023 to Question 156193 on Legal Costs, how much his Department spent on participating in the court cases that led to those legal settlements being made.

Mims Davies: In respect of the legal settlements Government Legal Department (GLD) have invoiced DWP as follows:  18/1919/2020/2121/22YTD 22/23Government  Legal Department Costs£ -£ 496,664.61£ 1,131,199.41£ 642,793.25£ 932,746.77 These are the variable costs of GLD which are directly attributable to the legal settlements. GLD also incur other overheads which we are unable to split out directly.

Disability: Business

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Disability Unit has made an assessment of the adequacy of current accessibility requirements for local businesses.

Tom Pursglove: We are fully committed to supporting disabled people in the UK through creating more opportunities, protecting their rights and ensuring they fully benefit from, and can contribute to, every aspect of our society. Businesses are required to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people in accordance with the Equality Act 2010. The Equality Act 2010 (the Act) protects people from being discriminated against or harassed because of a disability in the provision of services. The Act also requires service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve access to premises/buildings, provide auxiliary aids and services (such as providing information in an accessible format, provide induction loop for customers with hearing aids, special computer software or additional staff support when required), and allowing access to guide or assistance dogs, so that disabled customers have the same right to goods and services and are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled customers. This reasonable adjustment duty is an anticipatory duty. This means that those who provide goods, facilities and services to members of the public are expected to anticipate the reasonable adjustments that disabled customers may require. The Disability Unit has not made a comprehensive assessment of the adequacy of current accessibility requirements for local businesses. However, we continue to engage closely with stakeholders to build and share the evidence base on the issues affecting disabled people.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of applications for Personal Independence Payments were initially denied and subsequently granted following a successful appeal in each month since April 2022.

Tom Pursglove: Number and proportion of PIP initial decisions that are initially disallowed and are successful following an appeal Date of initial PIP decisionNumber of PIP initial decisions, initially disallowed that are successful following an appealProportion of initial decisions, that were initially disallowed that were successful following an appealApr-221,1802.0%May-228501.5%Jun-226301.1%Jul-225600.8%Aug-224100.6%Sep-222200.3% These figures include appeal decisions at tribunal hearing up to 31st December 2022, the latest date for which published data is available. Note that more appeals could be made and completed after December 2022, so numbers could go up as it can take some time for an appeal to be lodged and then cleared after the initial decision.  Please note:Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 and percentages to 1 decimal place.Data for England and Wales (excluding Scotland) has been provided in line with the latest published figures on PIP.These figures include initial decisions following assessment for PIP New Claims and Reassessments from 1st April 2022 – 30th September 2022, the latest data for which published data is available.“Successful following an appeal” includes claims that had an appeal lapsed or overturned at tribunal.The proportion figure uses the total PIP initial decisions for the relevant month as the denominator.Prior to tribunal, appeal claimants must have requested a Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) from DWP. Some of those disallowed following assessment will have their decision changed at this stage and take the dispute no further. In some cases, a claimant who has their Disallowed decision changed at MR will continue to appeal for a higher PIP award, and these cases could be included in the figures reported.A lapsed appeal is where DWP changed the decision in the customer’s favour after an appeal was lodged, but before it was heard at a tribunal hearing.

Social Security Benefits: Applications

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March to Question 169308 on Social Security Benefits: Applications, when the trials of the new online application service for (a) personal independence payments and (b) the attendance allowance will conclude; and what metrics the Department will use to evaluate the trials.

Tom Pursglove: PIP - Through the Health Transformation Programme, we are creating and introducing a new digital PIP service with the option to apply online. The new apply service is being introduced gradually with evaluation built into the process. This approach allows us to build, develop and design the service, exploring and making improvements as we gradually increase its availability, ultimately rolling the service out nationally. The evaluation will use a range of methods to assess the new service, including research to understand the claimant experience, and a range of metrics such as awards rates, claimant journey times, service demand and measures of claimant experience. AA – Attendance Allowance is currently in the private beta phase of development, where DWP are inviting a limited number of people to use the service, so feedback can be gathered to improve the service. We will look to move from trialling to public beta when we are satisfied by the following metrics: Whether a claimant can successfully complete an online application and if that was a positive user experienceWhether DWP can successfully make a decision on a claimant’s eligibility, which includes:o Decision makers having enough information from the users to confidently make a decision at the first time of askingo Evidence that we have reduced the need for follow up contact for additional information from claimantso We have tested and proven what level of supporting evidence is needed to make the process quick and easy for claimants, whilst simultaneously reducing risk of fraud and error.

Question

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress his Department has made on supporting disabled people into work.

Guy Opperman: It was a pleasure in February to visit Crawley Job Centre and meet the Work Coaches with My Honourable Friend.He will know we have helped over one million more disabled people into work and our Health and Disability White Paper and the budget support will do so much more.

Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of removing (a) the 20-metre rule, (b) informal observations and (c) the 50 per cent rule from Personal Independence Payment assessments.

Tom Pursglove: The enhanced rate of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) mobility component was always intended to be for those "unable" or "virtually unable" to walk. The 20-metre distance was introduced to distinguish those whose mobility is significantly more limited than others and who face even greater barriers on a day-to-day basis. Individuals who can walk more than 20 metres can still receive the enhanced rate of the Mobility component if they cannot do so safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly or in a reasonable time period. We believe the current assessment criteria, including the 20-metre rule, are the best way of identifying people whose physical mobility is most limited and there are no immediate plans to make changes. Whilst the PIP assessment does allow for informal observations of functional limitations, this is only part of the suite of evidence considered by health professionals. Informal observations are not viewed in isolation, they are considered alongside all other available evidence to determine entitlement. The observations are limited to between the point the assessment starts to when the assessment ends; the health professional (HP) cannot document observations made outside of this period. This is useful in assessing functional capability and there are no current plans to stop this. It is essential the PIP assessment accurately reflects the impact of variations in an individual's level of impairment. All health professionals are required to assess individuals in line with the statutory requirements, including: whether an individual can complete each of the 12 activities; the manner in which they can do it; whether they can complete each activity “safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and in a reasonable time period”. When choosing the descriptor, the health professional should also consider an individual’s ability over a 12-month period, ensuring that fluctuations are taken into account. For each activity, if a descriptor applies on more than 50 per cent of the days in the 12-month period, that descriptor should be chosen. In general, health professionals should record function over an average year for conditions that fluctuate over months, per week for conditions that fluctuate by the day, and by the day for conditions that vary over a day. The department closely monitors all aspects of the assessment process, including how we assess fluctuating health conditions; however, there are no current plans to remove the 50 per cent rule.

Social Security Benefits: Chronic Illnesses and Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with (a) long-term and (b) chronic health conditions took part in the consultation on the Health and Disability Green Paper.

Tom Pursglove: We received over 4,500 responses to the Health and Disability Green Paper consultation, with roughly half of those coming via CitizenSpace, and the other half via email. More than 90% of those who responded via CitizenSpace reported a disability or health condition lasting more than 12 months.We also held over 40 consultation events with disabled people, people with health conditions and their representatives. These included both virtual and face-to-face events, with events in Scotland, Wales and every region of England, to make sure we were hearing a variety of views.Many charities and organisations helped us to run events by organising for their users to attend and speak to us about the areas of the Green Paper that were most important to them. We are very grateful to all the individuals and organisations who have contributed. A list of the charities and organisations that took part in the consultation can be found in Annex A of Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper.

Employment: Chronic Illnesses and Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in relation to the Universal Support programme announced in the Spring Budget 2023, if he will publish (a) a statement of the differences between the new programme and the Work and Health Programme, as extended to 2024 in the Health and Disability White Paper published in March 2023, (b) the planned timescale for the new programme and (c) delivery plans for the new programme.

Tom Pursglove: The Work and Health Programme provides contracted employment support in England and Wales, primarily for disabled people and disadvantaged groups who are motivated to work and expect to find work within 12 months. Participants receive up to 15 months pre-employment support and up to six months light touch in-work support, personalised to the needs of each participant. The Work and Health Programme has been extended for new referrals until September 2024, providing additional support for around 100,000 people; we expect most of these will be disabled people. Universal Support will begin in 2024 and provide up to 12 months of high-quality Supported Employment which adheres to the five stage Supported Employment Model of place, train and maintain. There is strong international evidence that Supported Employment is effective in supporting people achieving jobs in open employment at the going rate of pay, with necessary support provided for the individual and employer in order to sustain the job. The timetable and delivery approach for Universal Support will be confirmed following stakeholder engagement, including with local commissioners and the devolved administrations.

Personal Independence Payment

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the policy paper entitled Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, published on 15 March 2023, whether his Department has held discussions with disabled people on the potential impact of a case management model for personal independence payment claims.

Tom Pursglove: The Health Transformation Programme is exploring a case management model as part of its ambition to better understand our claimants, tailor their service, and help to build claimant confidence and trust that their case is being progressed appropriately. We are continually working closely with a broad range of stakeholders, including users of the service, to gain insight and feedback from different perspectives to help shape the design of our services. The programme has conducted some initial tests of a case management model that indicated that claimant contact is important in building trust and transparency. We will continue to gather insight from disabled people and other stakeholders, as we explore how we can most effectively and efficiently manage a claim for PIP in a way that ensures the claimant gets the right outcome at the earliest opportunity.

Personal Independence Payment

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether a new assessment will be introduced for Personal Independence Payment to take account of the end of the work capability assessment.

Tom Pursglove: Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper announced that we will legislate to remove the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) so that in future there will only be one health and disability assessment, the PIP assessment. This will remove the need to be found to have limited capability for work and limited capability to prepare for work to receive additional income-related support for a disability or health condition, giving people confidence that they will receive support, for as long as it is needed, regardless of whether they are working. In today’s benefits system some people that receive the Universal Credit health element as a result of being determined to have Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity do not receive Personal Independence Payment. This is also the case for some people that are in the Employment and Support Allowance Support Group. For this group, we will carefully consider whether they meet the PIP assessment and eligibility criteria. As we develop our reform proposals, we will consider how disabled people and people with health conditions who need additional financial support may receive it.

Pension Credit

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many eligible pensioners have applied for Pension Credit since the Government launched its awareness campaign to increase uptake in April 2022.

Laura Trott: There have been 271,851 Pension Credit applications submitted from April 2022 to March 2023. DWP does not hold data that show the proportion of customers who are eligible.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to explore potential further uses of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund as set out in the policy paper entitled Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper published on 15 March 2023.

Tom Pursglove: The White Paper set out the Government’s ambition for a society in which disabled people, and people with health conditions, can fulfil their potential and, where they are able to, work. The aim of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund is to develop pride in place and increase life chances across the UK. The People and Skills investment priority can be used by lead local authorities to provide employment and skills support to a range of individuals who are inactive, unemployed and in work, which include disabled people and those with health conditions. Funding decisions on UKSPF have been devolved to local authorities across GB.DWP regional teams will continue to work with local leaders, including lead UKSPF authorities, organisations and stakeholders, to share best practice, learn from local provision and to support join-up and align local and national provision, including through devolved funding such as UKSPF.

Department for Work and Pensions: Standards

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the policy paper entitled Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, published on 15 March 2023, whether his Department has held recent discussions with charities on the development of the enhanced support service.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the policy paper entitled Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, published on 15 March 2023, whether his Department has held recent discussions with disabled people on the assessment criteria for the enhanced rate of the personal independence payment mobility component.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the policy paper entitled Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, published on 15 March 2023, whether his Department has had recent discussions with disabled people on proposals to simplify the claim process for health and disability benefits.

Tom Pursglove: Through the consultation on Shaping Future Support: The Health and Disability Green Paper, we received over 4,500 written responses and held over 40 consultation events with disabled people, people with health conditions and their representatives. These included both virtual and face-to-face events, with events in Scotland, Wales and every region of England, to make sure we were hearing a variety of views on the Green Paper. Many charities and organisations helped us to run events by organising for their users to attend and speak to us about the areas of the Green Paper that were most important to them. We are very grateful to all the individuals and organisations who have contributed through this and the consultation events. Following publication of the White Paper, we will continue to work with disabled people and their representatives to ensure their voices remain at the heart of delivering action and how we develop, deliver, and reach, the important goals set out in our White Paper.

Universal Credit

Mark Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the rollout of Universal Credit.

Guy Opperman: This week marks 10 years since the first Universal Credit Pathfinder. UC was successfully rolled out to all Jobcentres by December 2018 and has improved employment outcomes for claimants, got rid of the old cliff edges and navigated the pandemic in a way Legacy Benefits could never have done. We are presently moving all tax credit recipients onto Universal Credit.

Employment: Chronic Illnesses and Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, published in March 2023, who will be responsible for making decisions about a claimant’s conditionality; and what training will they be required to undertake.

Tom Pursglove: In the reformed system, Work Coaches will have tailored conversations with claimants to determine what they can do and what, if any, work-related activities they can participate in. They will set personalised requirements added at a pace that is appropriate for the individual. This also means that where work or work-related-activity is not possible or appropriate for someone, they will not be expected to participate in these activities to receive their benefit entitlement.We will work with our Work Coaches to develop these proposals and ensure they have the right training and support needed to fulfil this change in their role.We will also explore how the Employment and Health Discussion can assist people on the Universal Credit health journey.

Universal Credit: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, published in March 2023, whether his Department plans to take steps to ensure that disabled people who are not eligible for the Personal Independence Payment receive the new Universal Credit health element if they are unable to work.

Tom Pursglove: We want the system to continue to support those most in need, while recognising people shouldn’t need to be found to have limited capability for work and work-related-activity to access additional income-related support. For the group who receive LCWRA but not PIP, we will carefully consider whether they meet the PIP assessment and eligibility criteria. We are committed to protecting those claimants who are currently treated as LCWRA due to pregnancy risk, or because they are about to receive, receiving, or recovering from, treatment for cancer, by way of chemotherapy or radiotherapy. We will provide explicit provision to allow these claimants to access the new UC health top-up, even when they are not in receipt of PIP. Any LCWRA recipients who are not also in receipt of PIP at the point that they move to the new system, and whose circumstances remain unchanged, will receive transitional protection.

Department for Work and Pensions: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2023 to Question 153888 on Disability, which Ministerial Disability Champions attended the meeting on 14 March 2023; if he will publish the minutes of that meeting; and when the next meeting of Ministerial Disability Champions is due to take place.

Tom Pursglove: The Ministerial Disability Champions (MDC) roundtable took place on 14 March 2023. It was an opportunity for me to welcome the new cohort of MDCs who have been appointed across Government, to thank them for their commitment to improve disabled people’s lives and to emphasise how they and their departments are key to the development and delivery of the upcoming Disability Action Plan. MDCs who attended: Tom Pursglove MP - Dept for Work and Pensions (DWP) (Chair)Trudy Harrison MP - Dept for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)Mike Freer MP - Ministry of Justice (MoJ)Claire Coutinho MP - Dept for Education (DfE)Kevin Hollinrake MP - Dept for Business and Trade (DBT)Sarah Dines MP - The Home Office (HO)The Rt Hon Stuart Andrew MP - Dept for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)The Rt Hon Johnny Mercer MP - Cabinet Office (CO)The Rt Hon Dr Andrew Murrison MP - Ministry of Defence (MOD)Richard Holden MP - Dept for Transport (DfT)David Rutley MP - Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)Dr James Davies MP - Office of the Secretary of State for WalesJohn Lamont MP - Office of the Secretary of State for ScotlandSteve Baker MP - Office of the Secretary of State for Northern IrelandThe Rt Hon Victoria Prentis KC MP - Attorney General (Attorney General’s Office) We intend to hold a further roundtable meeting for those MDCs who could not attend the meeting on 14 March, ahead of the next full roundtable meeting. The Government does not plan to publish the minutes from MDC roundtables. The next full MDC roundtable is currently scheduled to take place on Monday 15 May 2023.

Employment

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce the level of economic inactivity among people of working age.

Guy Opperman: The UK labour market has record employment and close to record low unemployment, however we want to see even more people fulfil their potential, we are supporting employers to get the required skills for their workforce, and ensuring the economy continues to grow.The Spring Budget set out a significant, wide-ranging package of DWP measures that represent an investment of £3.5bn over 5 years to boost workforce participation. These measures will help to break down the barriers stopping people moving into work and progressing in it. This includes investment to support disabled people and those with long-term health conditions, parents, over-50s, unemployed people and people on Universal Credit and working fewer than full-time hours.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of disability benefit assessments.

Tom Pursglove: Assessment quality is a priority for the department. We work extensively with providers to make improvements to ensure a quality service is delivered. An Independent Audit function continually monitors performance and provides feedback to its providers, ensuring a high standard is always maintained.

Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions his Department has had with (a) disabled people and (b) disabled people's organisations in the development of the Disability Action Plan.

Tom Pursglove: I announced on 1 December 2022 that a new Disability Action Plan will be consulted on and published in 2023. The plan will set out the action the Government will take in 2023 and 2024 to improve disabled people’s lives. The Government is planning to consult on the Disability Action Plan this summer and to publish the final plan once we have fully considered the consultation responses. This consultation in the summer will be an opportunity for everyone - disabled people, disabled people’s organisations, and other interested parties - to have their say on the Disability Action Plan. The department continues to engage routinely with disabled people and their organisations, ensuring that our understanding of the barriers faced by disabled people is informed by disabled people’s lived experiences.

Universal Credit

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the policy paper entitled Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, published on 15 March 2023, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional financial support to people assessed to have limited capability for work-related activity for Universal Credit but who are not entitled to the Personal Independence Payment.

Tom Pursglove: We will put protections in place to ensure that no one experiences financial loss at the point at which the reform is enacted. For the group who receive the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity payment, but not Personal Independence Payment, there will be transitional protection at the point that they move to the new system.

Universal Credit: Chronic Illnesses and Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the policy paper entitled Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, published on 15 March 2023, what steps his Department is taking to explore ways to further support people who rely on third parties or carers to manage their relationship with Universal Credit.

Tom Pursglove: The department recognises the importance of establishing the best possible support arrangements for those who need it. We have been consulting with a broad range of stakeholders to review the explicit consent process, to gather their insight and experiences, as well as collecting data from claimants regarding the level of support needed. This will help inform ongoing iterations to the Universal Credit service.

Pensions

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to publish the results of the consultation on helping savers understand their pension choices.

Laura Trott: I want pension savers to have access to information and support that helps them to understand their retirement choices whatever their level of engagement is with their pension. That is why between June and July 2022 my department conducted a call for evidence to get an understanding of the support and information savers need when accessing their pensions in order to choose the option that meets their retirement goals and what is currently on offer. I am grateful for those who provided responses. My officials are currently reviewing those responses, with a view to publishing a response in due course.

Employment Schemes: Disability

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the policy paper, Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper published on 15 March 2023, what steps his Department plans to take to involve disabled people in the design of the (a) health conditionality approach and (b) the health element’ of Universal Credit.

Tom Pursglove: We will continue to listen to, and to work closely with, disabled people, people with health conditions and many other partners, on how to deliver the proposals set out in The Health and Disability White Paper and reach our important shared goals. We will also take time to test our proposals before rolling out on a wider scale.

Jobcentres: Staff

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the policy paper entitled Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, published on 15 March 2023, when his Department plans to appoint the network of progression champions for the in-work progression offer; and how those people will be selected.

Tom Pursglove: The White Paper referred to a network of staff who are now known as District Progression Leads. All 37 District Progression Leads have been appointed and are already working with partners to identify opportunities and overcome barriers to in work progression.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the policy paper entitled Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, published on 15 March 2023, what recent estimate he has made of when his Department will complete its assessment of the feasibility of sharing assessment reports with people making a claim before a decision is made.

Tom Pursglove: We have begun to test the feasibility of sharing assessment reports with people before a decision is made. This will offer claimants the opportunity to clarify evidence so that we can make the right decision as early as possible. We will consider findings from this initial testing to determine next steps.

Universal Credit: Chronic Illnesses and Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the policy paper entitled Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, published on 15 March 2023, how often Universal Credit claimants in the light touch conditionality group will be required to meet with a work coach after September 2023.

Tom Pursglove: The requirements that will apply to claimants in the light touch conditionality group, including the frequency of meetings with a work coach, are currently being developed and will be confirmed in due course.

Employment: Older People

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help support people aged over 50 into work.

Guy Opperman: The Government is committed to delivering a comprehensive package of support to help over 50s to remain and return to work. Eligible older jobseekers on Universal Credit will receive more intensive, tailored support during the first nine months of their claim. This will give work coaches more time to spend with older job seekers who have recently become unemployed and give extra support to help tackle barriers or difficulties in finding work. 37 new full-time 50PLUS Champion are now in every Jobcentre Plus district across GB, to support and upskill Work Coaches to deliver success for older claimants, including by raising awareness of the importance of supporting older job seekers. The Mid-life MOT is being offered to workers in their 40s and 50s to review and take stock of their finances, skills and health. This enables them to better prepare for their retirement and build financial resilience. They will be delivered to people in work in the private sector in three pilot areas, to eligible customers in the Jobcentres claiming Universal Credit and digitally. As part of the Spring Budget, the Chancellor announced even more 50+ customers on Universal Credit will be able to take part in the Mid-life MOT sessions in the Jobcentre. The digital Mid-life MOT will also be expanded and improved. Alongside this enhanced offer, for those who became unemployed, Jobcentre Plus Work Coaches have the flexibility to offer all claimants, a comprehensive menu of help, such as through Restart, Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs), the Flexible Support Fund, Mentoring circles, and 50+ job fairs, whilst also being supported by the 50 PLUS Champions. We will introduce Returnerships, a new offer promoting existing skills interventions to the over-50s, focussing on flexibility and previous experience to reduce training length. DWP also engages with employers to encourage positive attitudes towards older workers and the benefits of a multi-generational work force, and the adoption of suitable work practices to increase the retention, retraining and recruitment of older workers. DWP and The Business Champion for Older Workers, Andy Briggs, engage with employers to promote the benefits of older workers to business.

Universal Credit: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, published in March 2023, how many people who are currently eligible for incapacity benefit but not the Personal Independence Payment or Disability Living Allowance will receive the new Universal Credit health element.

Tom Pursglove: The department aims to publish a range of information on claimants of Employment and Support Allowance and the health element of Universal Credit in due course and will pre-announce any publication in line with normal statistical practices.

Social Security Benefits: Chronic Illnesses and Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the policy paper entitled Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, published on 15 March 2023, what steps his Department is taking to work with individuals with fluctuating conditions to ensure that the assessments process is able to adequately assess the impact of those conditions.

Tom Pursglove: Many of the changes outlined in the White Paper will improve our assessment of fluctuating conditions, such as improvements to our use of medical evidence, and developing the capability of our assessors. However, we will also explore options for introducing a new way of gathering evidence of fluctuation in a person's condition before their assessment. Our Health Transformation Programme is transforming our health assessment service carefully and incrementally. We are exploring different options and testing as we go to ensure the new service meets the needs of claimants.

Employment Schemes: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the policy paper entitled Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, published on 15 March 2023, when the test phase of the enhanced support service will end.

Tom Pursglove: Testing for the Enhanced Support Service is still continuing in Kent and expanding to Birmingham, Blackpool and King’s Lynn. If the service proves to be successful and is expected to provide good value for money, we will aim to expand it into areas of high demand in 2024.

Employment: Chronic Illnesses and Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the policy paper entitled Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, published on 15 March 2023, how many people (a) in total, (b) who are disabled and (c) who have a physical or mental health condition have opted to access additional support through the in-work progression offer.

Tom Pursglove: The information requested is not available. We are in the process of collating and assuring data on the in-work progression offer.

Department for Work and Pensions: Standards

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the policy paper entitled Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, published on 15 March 2023, whether his Department has had recent discussions with disabled people on the design of the employment and health discussions.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the policy paper entitled Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, published on 15 March 2023, what recent estimate he has made of when the employment and health discussion test phase will end.

Tom Pursglove: The Health and Disability Green Paper consultation sought views on the Employment and Health Discussion (EHD). We heard from more than 4,500 people, including disabled people and people with health conditions, local support organisations, national charities, employers and think tanks. The White Paper sets out the key themes from the consultation on the EHD and how these have shaped the design of the test. We are currently running a small-scale test of the EHD at Leeds Health Model Office. The test will give us an understanding of how best to deliver the policy and what aspects of the support are most useful to people. Claimant feedback and experience of the EHD will be an important element of the evaluation and will continue to be used to improve the policy and its delivery. The EHD test will initially run to March 2024.

Employment and Support Allowance

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to review the operation of (a) income-based ESA or (b) contribution-based ESA following the abolition of the Work Capability Assessment announced in Transforming Future Support: The Health and Disability White Paper published in March 2023.

Tom Pursglove: Our income replacement benefit proposals, as set out in Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, will apply to Universal Credit. It is not possible to submit a new claim for income-related ESA. As part of our proposal to improve the design of the benefits system, the UK Government is committed to maintaining a contributory health and disability benefit. We are currently reviewing options on how this can be incorporated within the reforms set out in the White Paper.

Employment: Chronic Illnesses and Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the policy paper entitled Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper published on 15 March 2023, what support for disabled customers and those with health conditions is currently being tested through the 11 Health Model Offices.

Tom Pursglove: Our 11 Health Model Offices (HMO) in England, Wales, and Scotland, test and trial different ways of improving our support for disabled customers and customers with health conditions. HMOs are currently testing how customers with Autism can best be matched to vacancies with Disability Confident employers, trialling Work Coaches working with GP surgeries to provide employment support to customers with Health conditions, and testing signposting advice to customers who express an interest in stopping smoking. This is in addition to trialling how best to contact and engage customers who are eligible for additional Work Coach support, and the Employment & Health Discussion to offer help and advice from a health and employment specialist, as outlined in Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper.

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the Government plans to submit its report addressing the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities' recommendations of its 2017 review of the UK's implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Tom Pursglove: The Government’s latest response to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was submitted in 2022, and published on GOV.UK with accessible formats in December 2022. This report and previous ones can be found here (Link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disabled-peoples-rights-uk-2022-follow-up-report-to-uncrpd-2016-inquiry).

Access to Work Programme

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 4 April 2023 to Question 175572, on Access to Work Programme, how many Access to Work applications were not approved in each of the last three years; and what the reasons were for non-approval.

Tom Pursglove: Applications are not approved for various reasons including – no evidence provided by the applicant, or not eligible for a grant award. Volumes for the last three years are: 2020/2021 – 20,9072021/2022 – 20,8442022/2023 – 33,991 Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.

Universal Credit: Children

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the amount his Department has saved as a result of the two child cap on Universal Credit in 2022; and what proportion of the total Department budget that figure represents.

Guy Opperman: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 April to PQ 180302

Universal Credit: Scotland

Amy Callaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people under the age of 25 are in receipt of Universal Credit in each constituency in Scotland.

Guy Opperman: Statistics on the number of people in receipt of Universal Credit are published every month. The latest statistics are available by age and by Westminster parliamentary constituency, to February 2023, on Stat-Xplore.

Social Security Benefits: Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the two child limit on benefit recipients; and if he will review the cap.

Guy Opperman: There are no plans to review this policy. Statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children was published in July 2022 and can be accessed at Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit claimants: statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of 2 children, April 2022.

Department for Work and Pensions: Standards

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many internal process reviews his Department (a) started and (b) completed on incidences of (i) death and (ii) serious harm between July 2022 and March 2023.

Tom Pursglove: The information requested cannot be shared, as it is intended for publication at a future date within the department’s Annual Report and Accounts.

Social Security Benefits: Older People

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what changes there have ben in sanction rate for the over-60s since December 2019.

Guy Opperman: Monthly Universal Credit (full service) sanction rate statistics are published every three months. The latest statistics are available by age, from April 2019 to November 2022, on Stat-Xplore.

Cost of Living Payments

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to provide individuals who receive means-tested Council Tax support with cost of living support payments.

Mims Davies: The Cost of Living Payments are targeted at low-income households in receipt of a qualifying means tested benefit.  Low income households who are in receipt of Council Tax support are able to apply for one of these qualifying means-tested benefits which may provide them with entitlement to a Cost of Living Payment.To receive a Cost of Living Payment the individual must be entitled to payment of a qualifying means-tested benefit during the qualifying periods, or a payment of Universal Credit for an assessment period ending within the qualifying periods.

Universal Credit: Carers and Disability

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is his policy to retain the work allowance for people with (a) caring responsibilities and (b) disabilities.

Guy Opperman: There are no plans to change this policy.

Cabinet Office

Written Questions: Government Responses

Catherine West: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2023 to Question 175612 on Written Questions: Government Responses, if he will make an estimate of the total cost to the public purse of answering the 61,427 written parliamentary questions submitted in 2022.

Alex Burghart: As set out in my response to PQ175612, the cost of each PQ depends on a number of factors which will vary from department to department. It would therefore exceed the disproportionate cost threshold to estimate this figure.

Obesity: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number of people who died from obesity in (a) Enfield and (b) London in each year since 2017.

Jeremy Quin: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon lady Parliamentary Question of 20th April is attached. UK Statistics Authority Response (pdf, 113.4KB)

Ageing

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans his Department has to develop an ageing population strategy to help support adaptation for ageing populations.

Alex Burghart: The Government Office for Science produced a report in 2016, entitled ‘The Future of an Ageing Population’, which gathered the best available evidence to understand what the ageing of the UK population means both now and in the future. Work to protect our older generations goes across the whole of Government. Individual departments take responsibility for the delivery of relevant policies within their jurisdictions. For example, the policies to promote the maintenance of the physical and mental wellbeing of our older generations are delivered through the Department for Health and Social Care.

Civil Servants: Dyslexia

Jessica Morden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 April 2023 to Question 174252 on Civil Servants: Dyslexia, for what reason does the Department not hold data on achievement levels for civil servants with dyslexia.

Alex Burghart: The Department cannot demand nor mandate that an individual discloses a personal protected characteristic (as defined by the Equality Act 2010). However, an individual may disclose that they have dyslexia ahead of an assessment and development centre, for example to discuss the potential for reasonable adjustments to be made. For a reasonable adjustment, the conversation would be filed individually and securely, in line with GDPR regulations. Details are not added to an individual’s profile on Government Commercial College, the data platform that records ADC scores.

Alcoholism: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number of people who died from alcoholism in (a) Enfield and (b) London in each year since 2018.

Jeremy Quin: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon lady Parliamentary Question of 20th April is attached.UK Statistics Authority Response (pdf, 157.0KB)

Public Duty Costs Allowance

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether former Prime Ministers in receipt of the Public Duty Costs Allowance were required to notify his Department by 31 March of the total costs they intended to claim in the 2022/23 claim year; and whether any costs to be claimed in the 2022/23 claim year were notified to his Department after that date.

Alex Burghart: In the 2022/23 financial year, all PDCA claims from the offices of the former Prime Ministers were received by the department in time for our 31st March financial cut off. Full disclosure of the 2022/23 amounts will be published in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Account 2022-23 which will be published later in the year.

Public Sector: Procurement

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to increase access to public procurement contracts for UK-based SMEs.

Alex Burghart: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the UK economy. That is why we are making sure the power of Government spending supports this vital sector. We are increasing opportunities for SMEs - from transparently publishing contract pipelines to simplifying bidding processes and strengthening prompt payment measures. I am proud that this Conservative Government is bringing in the new public procurement regime will create a simpler and significantly more transparent system that will further open up public procurement to SMEs so that they can compete for and win more public contracts. SMEs will benefit from a new duty on contracting authorities to have regard to reducing and removing barriers to SME participation. This will include making bidding timescales realistic and prohibiting contracting authorities from requiring audited accounts and insurances to be in place prior to contract award - helping new entrants to the market.

Air Pollution: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what data his Department holds on the number of people who died from air pollution in (a) Enfield and (b) London in each year since 2017.

Jeremy Quin: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon lady Parliamentary Question of 20th April is attached. UK Statistics Authority Response (pdf, 110.3KB)

Blood: Contamination

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings he held with the devolved administrations on the infected blood inquiry or infected blood compensation framework in December 2022.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings he held with the devolved Administrations on the infected blood (a) inquiry and (b) compensation framework in January 2023.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings he held with the devolved Administrations on the infected blood (a) inquiry and (b) compensation framework in February 2023.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings he held with the devolved Administrations on the infected blood (a) inquiry and (b) compensation framework in March 2023.

Jeremy Quin: The UK Government liaised closely with the Devolved Administrations on the interim compensation paid in October 2022. Sir Brian Langstaff has recommended that there should be a single UK-wide scheme to issue compensation whilst maintaining the existing support schemes. As I said in my December statement, the Government is committed to liaising with the Devolved Administrations on this issue, and we will continue to do so.

Committee of Privileges: Legal Costs

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse is of legal advice provided to the Rt hon. Member for Uxbridge for the investigation into his conduct by the Committee of Privileges.

Jeremy Quin: I refer the Hon Member to PQ 173102 and 111722. As set out in my previous answers, the Government has previously committed to setting out the final costs of the total legal support in relation to the Privileges Committee in due course after the conclusion of this matter. Information about the contract between the Cabinet Office and Peters & Peters can be found on ContractsFinder at the following link: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/26bfbb02-7e5b-4500-9746-6513393bfd27

Alcoholism: Death

Geraint Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people died from alcoholism in (a) England and (b) North Ireland in each year since 2018.

Jeremy Quin: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman Parliamentary Question of 19th April is attached. UK Statistics Authority Response (pdf, 214.7KB)

Obesity: Death

Geraint Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people died from obesity in (a) England and (b) North Ireland in each year since 2017.

Jeremy Quin: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentlemen Parliamentary Question of 19th April is attached.UK Statistics Authority Response (pdf, 126.9KB)

Blood: Contamination

Dan Carden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Government plans to respond to the Infected Blood Inquiry's interim report on compensation, published on 5 April 2023.

Jeremy Quin: The Government welcomes the publication of the Infected Blood Inquiry’s Second Interim report. Sir Brian Langstaff’s interim report will help the UK Government and Devolved Administrations to meet our shared objective to be able to respond quickly when the Inquiry’s final report is published in the autumn. I refer the honourable member to the statement made on Wednesday 19 April 2023, in response to the publication of the Infected Blood Inquiry’s Second Interim Report.

Blood: Contamination

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings the Cross-Departmental group overseeing the Government's infected blood inquiry response have been held since September 2022.

Jeremy Quin: Meetings continue to be held at Ministerial and Official level to progress the Government’s response to Sir Brian Langsatff’s work. As set out in the statement of Wednesday 19th April, this is a priority for the Government.

Dominic Raab

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2023 to Question 173042, whether the investigator has reported to the Prime Minister on the investigation into allegations of bullying made against the Rt hon. Member for Esher and Walton.

Jeremy Quin: The findings of Adam Tolley KC have been published and are available on the gov.uk website. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/investigation-report-to-the-prime-minister

Air Pollution: Death

Geraint Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people died from air pollution in (a) England and (b) North Ireland in each year since 2017.

Geraint Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people died from air pollution in (a) East Midlands, (b) East of England, (c) Greater London, (d) North East, (e) North West, (f) South East, (g) South West, (h) West Midlands, (i) Yorkshire and the Humber and (j) England in each year since 2018.

Geraint Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of all adult deaths in England in 2019 from (a) heart disease, (b) stroke, (c) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, (d) lung cancer and (e) dementia and Alzheimer's disease were caused by air pollution.

Jeremy Quin: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman Parliamentary Question of 19th April is attached. UK Statistics Authority Response (pdf, 112.0KB)

Blood: Contamination

Janet Daby: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether it is his policy to provide financial compensation to infected blood victims.

Janet Daby: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions he has had with the (a) Chancellor of the Exchequer, (b) Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and (c) other Cabinet colleagues on the provision of financial compensation to infected blood victims.

Jeremy Quin: I refer the honourable members to the statement made on Wednesday April 19 2023, in response to the publication of the Infected Blood Inquiry’s Second Interim Report.We continue to work across Government to prepare our response to Sir Brian Langstaff’s report.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Zimbabwe: Commonwealth

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent progress Zimbabwe has made in its application to re-join the Commonwealth; and what requirements will need to be met by the Zimbabwean government to progress that application.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The decision on whether Zimbabwe re-joins the Commonwealth is for all Commonwealth members. We recognise the value of having Zimbabwe back in the Commonwealth, but any re-entry would need to be on the basis that Zimbabwe was meeting admission requirements and able to uphold the values and principles set out in the Commonwealth Charter. Zimbabwe's General Elections this year present a clear opportunity for the Government to demonstrate progress against the principles of the Charter, namely respect for human rights and freedom for the political opposition, civil society and media to operate.

Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether invitations to the coronation for representatives of foreign states are issued by (a) his Department, (b) British Embassies, (c) Buckingham Palace or (d) other means.

David Rutley: Invitations for the Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and The Queen Consort for overseas guests were issued via note verbale from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office, in agreement with Buckingham Palace.

Bangladesh: Rohingya

Tom Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to provide aid and support to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK Government has been a leading donor to the Rohingya response in Bangladesh, contributing £350 million to the crisis since 2017. Our support has provided food, water, sanitation, shelter, healthcare and protection services to Rohingya refugees and vulnerable host communities.I (Minister Trevelyan) visited Bangladesh in March this year and witnessed the challenges facing the Rohingya first hand. During my visit, I announced a further £5.26 million for the response. This funding has helped the World Food Programme feed 449,000 people and provided pressure cookers to help reduce the consumption of cooking gas. The UK will continue to work with the UN and the Government of Bangladesh to provide support to the Rohingya whilst they remain in Bangladesh.

EU Law: Northern Ireland

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to The Windsor Framework: a new way forward, published in February 2023, if he will publish specific details of the 1,700 pages of EU law that will be disapplied under the Windsor Agreement.

Leo Docherty: The UK Government is committed to taking the necessary steps to uphold the UK's international obligations, including the Withdrawal Agreement and the Windsor Framework, as set out in the previous answer. As also set out, all of the rules disapplied are set out in the legal texts published as part of the Windsor Framework. By the EU's own calculations, less than 3 percent of EU rules apply - with those that remain only applying to secure maximum free trade and market access for Northern Ireland firms. It should also be recognised that this is not a straightforward list, as some of those rules will be applied in part for the red lane but not applied in the green lane, for example. But, for example:· Annex 1 of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) legal text shows that 67 rules on food and drink do not apply in the green lane - covering issues like marketing standards, food supplements and additives, and the production of organic products. It also disapplies the certification requirements in the EU Official Controls Regulation, as well as the prohibitions on various movements set out therein.· Requirements in the Union Customs Code (UCC) for rules of origin certificates, tariffs, and commodity codes for each movement do not apply for internal UK trade; nor are there any requirements for customs declarations for consumer parcels, which are classified automatically as "not at risk". And we have secured unfettered access by removing any need for export declarations or equivalent information for goods moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain as would otherwise have been set out in the UCC.· In a similar vein, and as noted previously, the requirements in the VAT Directive which prevented the zero-rating of energy-saving materials has been disapplied, enabling the changes we brought forward in Parliament this week; as have limits on alcohol duty structures in EU rules harmonising excise duty structures.· And for medicines we have disapplied any role for the European Medicines Agency in authorising medicines for the UK market, as otherwise set out in EU rules on the authorisation and supervision of medicinal products; and removed packaging any other requirements in the Falsified Medicines Directive.These changes have safeguarded Northern Ireland's place in the Union and our internal market, while continuing to support Northern Ireland's businesses by providing them access to the whole UK market as well as the EU market.

Armenia: Azerbaijan

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help support peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Leo Docherty: The UK's longstanding position is that there is no military solution to this conflict, and that parties to the conflict must engage in substantive negotiations, without preconditions, to secure a sustainable and peaceful settlement. I [Minister for Europe] underlined this message when I visited Baku in February, and the UK Government will continue to support constructive dialogue in further contacts with the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments in the coming months. I am planning to travel to Yerevan in the coming months. We continue to support internationally facilitated negotiations to settle all outstanding matters between the parties.

Windsor Framework

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many meetings (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had with officials of EU Commission officials on implementation of the Windsor Framework since it was announced.

Leo Docherty: Following the announcement of the Windsor Framework in February, the Foreign Secretary and European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič convened a formal meeting of the UK-EU Joint Committee on 24 March to formally adopt the new arrangements set out in the Framework. Officials remain in ongoing contact with the Commission to discuss the implementation of the Framework, and will continue to make use of the formal meeting structures under the Framework (including the Specialised Committee and the Joint Consultative Working Group) to advance this work.

USA: Official Visits

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the budget is for the visit of the US President to Northern Ireland.

Leo Docherty: We do not yet have the costs borne by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for the 2023 Guest of Government Visit by the President of the United States to Northern Ireland. These will be published on the gov.uk website once available.

Gibraltar: Flags

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Spanish Counterpart on the display of the Gibraltarian flag during the European Cricket League tournament in Spain.

Leo Docherty: I (Minister Docherty) am aware of the issue of the Gibraltar flag not being shown on coverage of the European Cricket League 2023, and that talks are ongoing between the Gibraltar Cricket Board and the European Cricket Network. I have not raised this issue with my Spanish counterpart but I hope this matter can be resolved so that there are no restrictions on the use of Gibraltar's flag.

Ali Bilal

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his counterparts in Pakistan on the death of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf worker Ali Bilal.

Leo Docherty: The UK Government was saddened to hear of the death of Mr Bilal in March. Where there are credible allegations of human rights violations, we expect these to be investigated in line with due process.

Gibraltar: Intelligence Services

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the UK has any intelligence agency bases in Gibraltar.

Leo Docherty: It is the longstanding policy of successive British Governments that we do not comment on intelligence matters.

EU Law: Northern Ireland

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, on what basis his Department calculated that only three per cent of EU law would apply to Northern Ireland under the Windsor Agreement.

Leo Docherty: The EU's calculation is that less than 3% of EU law is applicable in Northern Ireland.

Nagorno Karabakh

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his Department's policy is on the status of Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan; and when this policy was determined.

Leo Docherty: The UK's long-standing position has been to support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognised borders, which include Nagorno Karabakh. The UK Government is clear that there is no military solution to the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh, and we continue to urge the parties to the conflict to de-escalate tensions and to engage in substantive negotiations, without preconditions, to reach a peaceful settlement which preserves the security of the population.

Shahid Hussain

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Pakistan on the arrest of Shahid Hussain.

Leo Docherty: Mr Hussain was released on 27 March. We are aware of reports of arrests and continue to monitor the situation on the ground. Where there are credible allegations of human rights violations, we expect these to be investigated in line with due process.

EU Law

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what documents relating to negotiations at EU level over reducing costs of draft EU legislation where held at the UK Representation to the EU from 2010 until the UK's departure from the EU.

Leo Docherty: The FCDO does not collate centrally and specifically documentation relating to negotiations at EU level over reducing costs of draft EU legislation. The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost. However, His Majesty's Government at the time was a supporter of EU better regulation initiatives, an objective of which was the reduction of unnecessary regulatory costs arising from EU legislation.

UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement Domestic Advisory Group

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will appoint the Law Society of Scotland and the Faculty of Advocates to the Domestic Advisory Group under the EU-UK Trade Cooperation Agreement.

Leo Docherty: Members of the UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) Domestic Advisory Group (DAG) were selected following an Expression of Interest (EoI) process in 2021. At the first DAG meeting, members requested greater representation, in particular from Northern Ireland.The Government therefore reopened the EoI process between August - September 2022 to create a small number of additional places. The Law Society of Scotland and Faculty of Advocates applied at this second stage.All applications were considered carefully, balancing the need for sectoral and geographic representation of civil society organisations, while also keeping the group small enough for all members to be able to contribute effectively.The EoI process has now closed, and the membership list has been finalised. However, the Government will keep membership of the DAG under review.

Myanmar: Prisoners

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the accuracy of reports of the torture and ill treatment of people imprisoned in Myanmar; and whether he plans to take steps to raise the welfare of people imprisoned in Myanmar with his international counterparts.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK condemns the ongoing serious human rights violations by the Myanmar military regime. Over 17,000 people are currently arbitrarily detained in Myanmar - among them journalists, healthcare workers and political prisoners. We are tracking reports of torture, sexual violence and ill treatment in detention. We continue to call for the release of all those arbitrarily detained, including in the landmark UNSC resolution, which the UK coordinated on 21 December 2022. On 4 April, the UK co-sponsored a UN Human Rights Council Resolution on human rights in Myanmar, which condemned serious human rights violations by the military regime.

Pakistan: Elections

Alyn Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in Pakistan on the operation of free, fair and safe elections in that country.

Leo Docherty: We have frequent contact with the Government on Pakistan on a wide range of issues. We respect Pakistan's democratic system and do not interfere in its internal political affairs. We will continue to engage regularly with the Government of Pakistan to advance our shared priorities and interests, including on human rights, freedom of expression and upholding democratic norms.

Pakistan: Freedom of Expression

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Pakistani counterpart on (a) freedom of expression and (b) press freedoms in Pakistan.

Leo Docherty: The UK is a champion of media freedom and a proud member of the Media Freedom Coalition. Protecting media freedom and freedom of expression remains central to the UK Government's human rights engagement in Pakistan. The British High Commission in Islamabad continues to raise these issues with the Government of Pakistan at a senior level. On 23 January, the UK Political Counsellor raised these issues with Muhammad Saleem Baig, Chairman of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority. On 17 November 2022 the British High Commissioner discussed the issue of media freedom with Pakistan's Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Marriyum Aurangzeb.

Pakistan: Human Rights

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Pakistani counterparts on human rights issues.

Leo Docherty: Pakistan is an FCDO human rights priority country. The UK Government regularly engages the Government of Pakistan at a senior level on the need to respect human rights and uphold the rule of law. On 30 January, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for South Asia and Minister responsible for Human Rights, discussed the human rights situation with Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada.

Norfolk Island: Visits Abroad

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to visit Norfolk Island in the next 12 months.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many officials from his Department have visited Norfolk Island in each of the past five years.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Norfolk Island has been a Territory of the Commonwealth of Australia since 1914 and its governance is a matter for Australia. There are no plans for Ministers to visit Norfolk Island in the next 12 months.

Pakistan: Human Rights

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Pakistan.

Leo Docherty: Pakistan is an FCDO human rights priority country. The UK Government regularly engages the Government of Pakistan at a senior level on the need to respect human rights and uphold the rule of law. On 30 January, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for South Asia and Minister responsible for Human Rights, discussed the human rights situation with Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada.

Ukraine: Military Law

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support his Department provides to British companies seeking to repatriate monetary assets held in Ukraine under martial law.

Leo Docherty: British Embassy Kyiv officials have spoken with a number of businesses affected by this issue and raised their concerns with the Government of Ukraine.

Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to attend the British Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council meeting in May 2023.

David Rutley: The Joint Ministerial Council, hosted by the Minister for the Overseas Territories, Lord Goldsmith, will bring together UK Ministers and the elected leaders of the Overseas Territories to discuss issues of mutual interest and to agree actions to tackle shared challenges. It will also provide an opportunity to strengthen the unique partnership between the UK and our British family in the Territories. The Foreign Secretary looks forward to meeting the elected leaders of the Overseas Territories at the Council in May, pending final confirmation of his schedule.

Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, which representatives of Gulf states have (a) been invited and (b) accepted invitations to the coronation.

David Rutley: Invitations have been issued to the Heads of State of all nations with whom the UK has full diplomatic relations.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assurances his Department has sought from the government of Mauritius in the negotiations on the transfer of the British Indian Overseas Territory .

David Rutley: The Foreign Secretary's Written Ministerial Statement (UIN HCWS645) of 17 March 2023 states that the UK and Mauritius are continuing negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) /Chagos Archipelago. We cannot speculate on possible outcomes.

Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman of Saudi Arabia has been invited to the coronation.

David Rutley: Invitations have been issued to the Heads of State of all nations with whom the UK has full diplomatic relations.

Tunisia: Human Rights

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Tunisia.

David Rutley: We monitor the political and human rights situation in Tunisia closely. The UK Government has made its views clear, calling for space for legitimate political opposition, civil society and independent media in light of recent developments. On 18 April, the Minister of State for North Africa, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon made clear the UK's view that the recent wave of arrests, including of Rached Ghannouchi, and restrictions on political opposition in Tunisia are eroding the space for plurality, urging the Tunisian government to respect the principles and values of an open and democratic society. Lord Ahmad also reiterated this message during his meeting with the Tunisian Chargé d'Affaires on 23 February. The UK is a constructive partner to Tunisia, and we will continue to raise these important issues with the Tunisian authorities at every available opportunity.

International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2023 to Question 167053, on International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace, when he expects his Department to make a decision on UK collaboration in the International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace.

David Rutley: We stand ready to collaborate and coordinate further with the US Government on the Middle East partnership for Peace Act, including regarding the fund's advisory board, as additional plans and priorities become available. Any decisions will be made once we have a fuller understanding of those plans and priorities.

International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2023 to Question 167057, on International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace, for what reason his Department has not to date discussed the potential creation of an international fund for Israeli and Palestinian peace with other countries besides the United States.

David Rutley: The funds in question were established by the Middle East Partnership for Peace Act, passed by the US Congress.

Al-Aqsa Mosque

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Israeli counterpart on the violence at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem in April 2023.

David Rutley: The Foreign Secretary has spoken to the Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on 8 April following the terrorist attacks in the Jordan Valley and Tel Aviv, and we discussed the wider security situation. The UK is committed to working with all parties to maintain calm, avoid provocation and uphold the status quo to ensure the safety and the security of the al-Aqsa Mosque and all who worship there. While we recognise Israel's legitimate need to deploy security measures, we encourage Israel to deploy these in a way which minimises tension and use of appropriate force. When there have been accusations of excessive use of force, we advocate for swift, transparent investigations.

Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether King Hamad of Bahrain has been invited to the coronation.

David Rutley: Invitations have been issued to the Heads of State of all nations with whom the UK has full diplomatic relations.

Rached Ghannouchi

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the arrest of Rached Ghannouchi in Tunisia.

David Rutley: On 18 April, the Minister of State for North Africa, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon made clear the UK's view that the recent wave of arrests, including of Rached Ghannouchi, and restrictions on political opposition in Tunisia are eroding the space for plurality, urging the Tunisian Government to respect the principles and values of an open and democratic society. The Minister also raised our issues over the recent arrests directly with Tunisian Chargé d'Affaires on 23 February, as did His Majesty's Ambassador to Tunisia with Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar on 23 February. The UK believes in the importance of space for legitimate political opposition, civil society, strengthening human rights and including all voices in building resilient and successful democracies. We continue to monitor the political and human rights situation in Tunisia closely.

West Bank: Evictions

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has taken recent steps to help support Palestinians affected by the evictions from Masafer Yatta.

David Rutley: The UK opposes these evictions. Demolitions and evictions of Palestinians from their homes cause unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians; call into question Israel's commitment to a viable two-state solution; and in all but the most exceptional of cases, demolitions by an occupying power are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, reiterated this position to Israeli Foreign Minister Cohen during his visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in January, at which time he also visited a UK-donor funded school in Masafer Yatta. Lord Ahmad has also raised the issue of demolitions with Israeli Ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, in subsequent meetings. The UK continues to provide financial and political support for communities like those in Masafer Yatta through its contributions to the West Bank Political Consortium and staff at the British Consulate General in Jerusalem make regular working-level visits to Masafer Yatta, most recently on 16 April.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the extent of Government corruption in Zimbabwe.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK sees corruption as an important barrier to economic reform and inclusive growth in Zimbabwe. We engage with the Government of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, civil society and other actors in the fight against corruption in Zimbabwe. In 2022 we sanctioned a Zimbabwean businessman for serious corruption. No UK aid is channelled directly through Government of Zimbabwe systems, instead, we work primarily through multilateral organisations, notably United Nations agencies, international Non-Governmental Organisations and the private sector to deliver our programmes.

Bilateral Aid: HIV Infection

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his Department's guidance is for HIV and AIDS organisations applying for bilateral funding under the International Development Strategy.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: FCDO spending on global health is guided by the International Development Strategy together with the Department's Health System Strengthening and Ending Preventable Deaths approach papers. Prospective partners seeking bilateral funding should consult these documents and the terms of any calls for proposals when submitting applications.Health systems strengthening is key to the UK's long-term approach to protecting and promoting good health, including HIV prevention and response. The UK will focus on integrating essential services, including HIV services, through improved primary health care that includes public health functions, quality of care, rights and equity, including for women with HIV who have some of the highest maternal death rates.

Development Aid: HIV Infection

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to provide (a) financial and (b) other support to help other countries reduce cases of HIV and AIDS.

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has taken steps to offer support to local organisations who provide prevention, testing and care services for HIV and AIDS in the Global South.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK remains a world leader in efforts to end the global AIDS epidemic and funds all key partners in the global AIDS response, including the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria.Our recent pledge of £1 billion to the Global Fund will save over 1 million lives, including by providing antiretroviral therapy for 1.8 million people and HIV counselling and testing for 48 million people. Our funding for the Robert Carr Fund and UNAIDS supports initiatives to empower local civil society and grassroots organisations, predominantly in the Global South, to increase access to HIV prevention, testing and care services.

Bahrain: Human Rights

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether HM Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Interior Minister of Bahrain discussed (a) human rights and (b) political prisoners' cases during their meeting on 2 April 2023.

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made a recent assessment of complaints about medical negligence by the Kingdom of Bahrain in relation to Abdulwahab Husain, Sheikh Abduljalil Al-Miqdad, Hasan Mushaima and Dr. Abduljalil Al-Singace; whether he has discussed their cases with his counterpart in that Kingdom; and if he will take diplomatic steps to support their release.

David Rutley: The FCDO follows matters that relate to human rights within Bahrain closely, including some individual cases. UK Ministers and senior officials regularly raise sensitive issues. Recently the Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, discussed a range of human rights issues and individual cases during his visit to Bahrain on Sunday 12 February. We also encourage those with issues to raise them directly with the appropriate Bahraini independent oversight body.

USA: Official Visits

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will have discussions with his US counterpart on protocols for the flying of hosting nation's flags on the motor vehicle of the President of that country when visting the UK; and whether he has made an assessment of whether the UK flag was flown from that President's car when he visited Belfast in April 2023.

David Rutley: There are no plans to discuss protocols for flying flags on the President's vehicle with the US, including in relation to the President's recent visit to Northern Ireland. The choice of which flags to fly on US official vehicles would be a matter for the US authorities.

Salma al-Shehab

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterparts in Saudi Arabia on (a) Salma al-Shehab and (b) other detained Saudi women who have been on hunger strike since 23 March 2023.

David Rutley: We have raised the continued detention of individuals for expressing their political views, including women and women's rights defenders, with the Saudi government. The FCDO is monitoring the case of Salma al-Shehab. The Minister responsible for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, most recently raised her case with the President of the Saudi Human Rights Commission on 11 April. Lord Ahmad also raised Ms al-Shehab's case during his visit to the Kingdom in February. We will continue to raise human rights issues, including individual cases, with the Saudi authorities.

Development Aid

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Written Statement entitled FCDO Programme Allocations of 30 March 2023, HCWS705, how much funding will be provided to each country.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The FCDO is committed to transparency with the public and predictability with our partners. My (Minister Mitchell) Written Ministerial Statement of 30 March sets out how we have allocated Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2022-23 and for 2023-24. We plan to publish full breakdowns of the 2023-24 allocations, including by country in the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts 2022 to 2023 on 13 July.

China: Mauritius

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) implications for his policies of the level of Chinese influence in Mauritius and (b) danger posed by that influence to UK interests in the Indian Ocean.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: I refer to my right hon. Friend for Berwick-upon-Tweed's comments during the Westminster Hall Debate on 7 December 2022. It is worth noting that Mauritius is one of only two African countries that has not signed up to China's Belt and Road Initiative. Mauritius signed a Free Trade Agreement with China in 2019.

Uganda: LGBT+ People

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to take steps to support LGBTQ+ communities in Uganda providing HIV prevention, testing and care services.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Through our contributions to the Global Fund, the UK is helping to tackle HIV/AIDS in Uganda by providing targeted prevention, testing and treatment services. This is through community outreach and the facilitation of drop-in centres that offer services such as legal and human rights, psychosocial and mental health support. The UK is the third largest donor to the Global Fund, having contributed £4.4 billion since its inception. Last year, the UK committed to providing a further £1 billion over three years to the Global Fund which will help to reach three million members of key populations, such as LGBT+ groups, worldwide with prevention programmes.The UK was proud to play a strong role with our partners in shaping the progressive new Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Global AIDS Strategy "Ending Inequalities" 2021-26 and an ambitious UN Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS in June 2021 to enhance reporting against targets to end AIDS by 2030.

Development Aid: Genito-urinary Medicine

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding his Department provided for sexual and reproductive health and rights through (a) bilateral and (b) multilateral aid in (i) 2020, (ii) 2021 and (iii) 2022.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Based on the "Statistics on International Development: final UK aid spend 2021", and the Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) spend methodology laid out in the "Donor Delivering for SRHR" 2022 report:a/ The total amount of UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) SRHR funding disbursed by bilateral aid was:i/ £372 million in 2020,ii/ £242 million in 2021iii/ UK ODA figures beyond December 2021 are not yet available, estimates for 2022 spending will be available in autumn 2023.b/ The total amount of UK ODA SRHR funding disbursed by core multilateral aid was:i/ £185 million in 2020. Please note we previously provided a lower figure of £142 million; 2019 SRHR attribution coefficients were applied erroneously to 2020 spend figures. This has now been corrected.ii/ SRHR attribution coefficient for multilateral aid beyond 2020 are not available yet, they will be published in the next "Donor Delivering for SRHR" 2023 report.

Disease Control: International Cooperation

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to hold discussions with relevant stakeholders on the development of a World Health Organisation pandemic treaty.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK supports a new legally-binding instrument as part of a cooperative and comprehensive approach to pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. Non-state actors are an important part of the solution to strengthening the global health architecture and protecting countries from health threats. The UK continues to engage with a broad range of stakeholders on the instrument and its negotiation process, including academics, civil society, trade associations and other non-state actors.

UK Special Representative for Climate Change: Public Appointments

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to appoint a new Special Representative for Climate Change.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Since 2011 we have supported over 95 million people to cope with the effects of climate change, provided over 58 million people with improved access to clean energy and reduced or avoided over 68 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.Whilst an immediate successor to the Special Representative has not been appointed, our resource and senior representation within the FCDO on climate and environment has grown significantly since the creation of the FCDO. We now have an Energy, Climate and Environment Director, as well as an Additional Energy Director, five deputy directors and an engaged overseas network on climate, energy and environment issues. Climate change remains an area of utmost importance to this government and to the Foreign Secretary.

Climate Change: Finance

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if the Government will press for the use of the Loss and Damage Facility Fund to provide support in climate emergencies.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: At COP27, the UK and all parties agreed to establish new funding arrangements for responding to loss and damage including a dedicated fund. A Transitional Committee (TC) was established under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to develop recommendations on these new arrangements. The UK is actively engaged with this process as a TC member and the first meeting was held in March where a future workplan was agreed. The UK will work to ensure that the fund and wider funding arrangements effectively deliver support to the most vulnerable people suffering losses and damages caused by climate change.

Jagtar Singh Johal

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when his Department last made representations to the government of India on the case of Jagtar Singh Johal.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK Government has consistently raised issues about Mr Johal's case with the Government of India on over 100 occasions, including allegations of torture and his right to a fair trial. Mr Johal's case was raised most recently by the Foreign Secretary with the Indian External Affairs Minister, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, in Delhi on 1 March. Consular staff visit Mr Johal regularly to check on his welfare and did so most recently on 7 March. Consular staff also continue to attend relevant court hearings in an observer capacity, most recently on 10 March.

Punjab: Religious Freedom

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in India on the treatment of religious minorities in the Punjab region.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK Government has a broad and deep partnership with the Government of India and we discuss all elements of our relationship. We remain committed to defending freedom of religion or belief for all and promoting respect and tolerance between communities. Where we have issues, we raise them directly with the Government of India, including at Ministerial level. Human rights forms part of that dialogue. Our networks across India regularly meet religious representatives and have run projects supporting human rights.

World Malaria Day

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department are taking to mark World Malaria Day in 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK recognises the importance of World Malaria Day for raising awareness and galvanising the global response. I [Minister Mitchell] will attend a roundtable with leading figures to discuss the role of Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) and British science in ending malaria. The Department will be highlighting UK's leadership in fighting against the disease. This includes our £1 billion contribution to the seventh replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria; our support to research and development including to world leading Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) such as the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC); and our funding for catalytic interventions to bring down the prices of new products and tackle barriers to widespread access.

Ministry of Justice

Sentencing

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy to make it mandatory for those who are convicted of a crime to attend sentencing.

Edward Argar: Offenders should be brought before the court to face the consequences of their crimes. An offender’s refusal to attend their hearing can cause anger and upset for victims and their families. We are looking carefully at how best to address this issue so that offenders face up to their actions and victims can see justice being served.

Domestic Abuse: Homicide

Sir Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of domestic homicide cases used the partial defences of diminished responsibility and loss of control in each of the last 10 years for which data is available.

Edward Argar: The Ministry of Justice publishes data on prosecutions and convictions involving manslaughter and manslaughter due to diminished responsibility in the “Outcomes by Offence” tool as part of the Criminal Justice System Statistics publication. For year ending June 2022 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1135333/outcomes-by-offence-june-2022-revised-2.xlsx For year ending December 2017 to 2021 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1113400/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2021-revised-2.xlsx For year ending December 2013 – 2016 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1063892/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2020-revised.xlsx In the “Outcomes by Offences” pivot tool, select the `Prosecutions and Convictions’ page, and then select “00405” (manslaughter due to diminished responsibility) and “00401” (manslaughter) from the HO offence code filter. A defendant, committed by the magistrates’ court to the Crown Court, may not complete both court processes in the same year. Each stage would therefore be counted by the particular court in the year where those proceedings took place or completed, meaning that in any given year, convictions may exceed prosecutions and sentences may not equate to the number of convictions. In addition, defendants who appear before both courts may also be convicted of a different offence at the Crown Court to that counted during proceedings in the magistrates’ court, where the offence may have changed after committal to the Crown Court. The Ministry of Justice does not collate information separately on whether a prosecution also concerns one of domestic homicide. Data is unavailable on the partial defence of loss of control.

Magistrates

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have (a) applied to be volunteer magistrates (b) been accepted as magistrates and (c) become magistrates in each of the last 10 years.

Mike Freer: Data on the number of appointments to the magistracy each year up to 31 March has been published by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) since 2020. MoJ publishes this data as part of the annual Judicial Diversity Statistics (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/judicial-diversity-statistics). MoJ did not collect magistrates’ appointment data in a reliable way before 2015.YearNumber of new appointments to the magistracy2015/20166422016/20176872017/20186922018/201910822019/202010112020/20216622021/20221,204Prior to January 2022, MoJ did not collect data on the number of applications to the magistracy. On 17 January 2022, MoJ launched an online system which collects information on magistrate applications and has made the recruitment process more efficient. As of 31 October 2022, 4,321 people have applied. Data on applications since the introduction of the new process, up to 31 March 2023, will be included in the 2023 Judicial Diversity Statistics, to be published on 13 July 2023.

Magistrates

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what is the average time taken to appoint a volunteer magistrate from the point of application to the applicant sitting in Court.

Mike Freer: In January 2022, the Ministry of Justice launched an updated magistrate recruitment and selection process alongside a marketing strategy to increase the number and diversity of applicants to the magistracy. As part of this work, a number of changes were made to improve the efficiency and timeliness of the full process. These include the introduction of a new online qualifying assessment in February 2023, which will result in quicker recruitment of magistrates. As applications under the new system are still being processed, we are not yet able to calculate the average time from application to appointment.

Courts and Prisons: Buildings

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of buildings on the (a) prisons and (b) court and tribunal estate are affected by the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete on the structural integrity of those buildings.

Mike Freer: This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Justice: Surveys

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April to Question 177722 on Ministry of Justice: Staff, when staff in his core Department last completed a Leesman office survey; and how many and what proportion of respondents to that survey (a) agreed and (b) disagreed with the statements about their main workplace that (i) it enables me to work productively, (ii) it supports me sharing ideas and knowledge amongst colleagues, (iii) it creates an enjoyable environment to work in, (iv) it contributes to a sense of community at work, and (v) it's a place I'm proud to bring visitors to.

Mike Freer: The core Department has not completed a Leesman office survey to date.

Senior Courts Costs Office

Dame Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made the impact of delays at the Senior Courts Costs Office on solicitors' firms receiving payment for (a) all cases and (b) cases at the Court of Protection.

Mike Freer: The Senior Courts Costs Office (SCCO) assess bills of cost arising from proceedings in the High Court, London County Courts and Tribunals and the Court of Protection. They only make the actual payment of costs in Legal Aid cases. There are two stages to process by which solicitors’ firms receive payment following the submission of bills of cost. The first stage involves an assessment of the costs submitted to the SCCO. The second stage involves the issue of a certificate that provides the authority for the payment to be made. The certificate is only issued when the assessment has been agreed by the relevant parties. All bills of costs arising from High Court or London County Court and Tribunal proceedings are currently being assessed within the statutory timelines. Certificates in these cases are being issued within 5 days of the assessment having been accepted. As at the 14 April 2023 the number of Court of Protection bills waiting for assessment was 5,975. This is made of up 5,544 bills under £35,000 with waiting times of 38 weeks and 431 bills with a value of between £35,000 and £100,000 with waiting times of 47 weeks. The current time taken to issue a certificate is 20 days from the assessment having been agreed. The party then submits the certificate to the Office of Public Guardian to authorise payment from the protected party’s funds. Court of Protection Rules enable solicitors to reimburse themselves for work undertaken in the first three-quarters of the year up to a maximum of 75% of the estimated annual charges. At the end of the year the bill is submitted to the SCCO for assessment. The total figure approved by the SCCO is adjusted to reflect any such payments on account. HMCTS is committed to reducing the time taken to deal with Court of Protection Bills and has also reallocated resource to help with this.

Senior Courts Costs Office

Dame Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how cases are awaiting review at the Senior Courts Costs Office; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce this backlog and the processing time of  thosecases.

Mike Freer: The Senior Courts Costs Office (SCCO) assess bills of cost arising from proceedings in the High Court, London County Courts and Tribunals and the Court of Protection.All legal aid work and all bills of costs arising from party v party cases which are below £50,000 are assessed within 6 weeks of receipt. There are no outstanding cases within these categories awaiting assessment.Bills from party v party cases which are over £50,000 must be referred to a Judge. All cases within this category have been listed for a hearing.As at the 14 April 2023 the number of Court of Protection bills waiting for assessment was 5,975. This is made of up 5,544 bills under £35,000 with waiting times of 38 weeks and 431 bills with a value of between £35,000 and £100,000 with waiting times of 47 weeks. Court of Protection bills in excess of £100,000, which are very small in number, are listed for hearing before a Judge. Court of Protection Rules enable solicitors to reimburse themselves for work undertaken in the first three-quarters of the year up to a maximum of 75% of the estimated annual charges. At the end of the year the bill is submitted to the SCCO for assessment. The total figure approved by the SCCO is adjusted to reflect any such payments on account. The SCCO is running a pilot in which professional deputies appointed by the Court of Protection, their legal representatives and other legal professionals involved in Court of Protection cases, may file their bills in respect of general management and other applications electronically where the relevant authority has been obtained from the Court of Protection. The pilot of this electronic and expedited process is due to conclude on 28 April 2023. HMCTS is committed to reducing the time taken to deal with Court of Protection Bills and has also reallocated resource to help with this.

Courts: Fines

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of court fines issued have been collected in each year since 2010.

Mike Freer: The table below details the percentage of a fine collected each year from 2011-12 to 2021-22.  Amount collected in financial year  Year fine was issuedAmount imposed2011-122012-132013-142014-152015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-212021-22Total collected  £000%%%%%%%%%%%% 2011-12188,53047218432211--88 2012-13193,897-44207422111082 2013-14190,728--4322843211184 2014-15213,611---412384221181 2015-16263,763----43217322179 2016-17362,490-----4318542274 2017-18355,773------481864279 2018-19329,679-------42196470 2019-20316,219--------4417870 2020-21217,479---------322153 2021-22746,470----------6060  Financial penalties imposed by the courts will often consist of multiple elements including, amongst others, compensation, victim surcharge, prosecutor’s costs and a fine. The imposition is enforced as a whole, and any receipts received are applied to the offender’s account in accordance with a strict legal hierarchy. This ensures that the victims receive any monies they are due first, with the fine element being the last to be collected. This can result in the fine element taking longer to be paid.Defendants may be allowed to pay their financial penalty through an attachment of earnings/benefits. For defendants who have multiple impositions, which have often been imposed over a period of years, the impositions are all consolidated into one account and a payment plan agreed for the total balance. This can result in an imposition taking a longer period of time to collect. The defendant will not necessarily be in default as their regular contributions will be paying off their compensation, victim surcharge and costs elements first.On average, by the time a financial penalty is 5 years old 80% of the total imposition will have been collected.This Government takes the recovery and enforcement of financial impositions very seriously and remains committed to ensuring impositions are paid. The courts will do everything within their powers to trace those who do not pay and use a variety of means to ensure the recovery of criminal fines and financial penalties. Money can be deducted from an offender's earnings or benefits and warrants can be issued instructing approved enforcement agents to seize and sell goods belonging to the offender. Ultimately an offender can be imprisoned for non-payment of their fine.

Courts: Travel

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to help support people unable to afford travelling to court.

Mike Freer: HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has various schemes in place to support court and tribunal users with travelling to court. The payment of expenses and allowances to prosecution witnesses, where the Crown Prosecution Service is the prosecuting authority, is governed by the Crown Prosecution Service (Witnesses’ etc. Allowances) Regulations 1988. Guidance on expenses and allowances for prosecution witnesses can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/going-to-court-victim-witness/expenses-for-going-to-court. The First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) and First-tier Tribunal (Criminal Injuries Compensation) can pay reasonable expenses for going to the tribunal, including the cost of public transport. Travel expenses for jurors are provided at the end of jury service but these can be paid these during service if a juror is facing financial hardship. We have increased the use of remote hearings, where appropriate since the pandemic. Remote attendance may be available within the relevant procedure rules and if agreed with the judiciary, and will reduce the cost of travel.

Remote Hearings

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of remote hearings on sentencing in (a) adult and (b) youth courts.

Mike Freer: Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the independent judiciary. The courts have a statutory duty to follow any relevant sentencing guidelines, issued by the independent Sentencing Council for England and Wales. The Council has issued a range of offence-specific and overarching guidelines to help judges and magistrates decide appropriate sentences for criminal offences. The guidelines set out factors which courts should consider when deciding on a sentence and are designed to help increase consistency and transparency in sentencing. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) recently published an evaluation of the impact of remote hearings on the Crown Court, though this did not consider sentencing [The impact of remote hearings on the Crown Court (publishing.service.gov.uk)]. Remote hearings were found to be slightly shorter than matched in-person hearings. However, using remote plea hearings did not impact the total case duration or the number of total hearings in a case. The report found no meaningful differences in plea rates or trial outcomes when remote plea hearings are used.

Powers of Attorney

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the (a) shortest, (b) mean average and (c) longest period of time was that it has taken for the Office of the Public Guardian to register a lasting power of attorney document in the last 12 months.

Mike Freer: In the last 12 months (from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023), the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) registered and dispatched 916,059 Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA) applications. All LPAs are subject to a statutory notice period of four weeks. The shortest period for OPG to register and dispatch an application was 20 days; this was for highly urgent cases and includes the statutory notice period. The mean average to register and dispatch an application was 91.52 days. The longest period was 983 days in a case where it was necessary to refer the matter to the Court of Protection. The above figures exclude the registration of Enduring Powers of Attorney which, while valid, have been replaced by LPAs since the Mental Capacity Act 2005 came into effect. An LPA application is considered ‘received’ once payment is made by the customer to the OPG. The application process is completed once an application is registered and dispatched to the customer. Applications may take longer to be registered if they contain errors that need to be rectified by the customer. The time taken for customers to remedy these errors is included in the length of time recorded. ‘Days’ represent working days, i.e. excluding weekends and bank holidays. OPG is facing high demand to register LPA applications, including overcoming a backlog created during the pandemic. OPG is advising customers that the processing time for LPA applications is currently up to 20 weeks, including the statutory waiting period. To return to processing times achieved before the pandemic, extra staff have been hired, staff are working overtime and across multiple shift patterns, and process efficiencies have been introduced. The government is also supporting the Powers of Attorney Bill, which will create a faster and simpler service for customers in future.

Ministry of Justice: Telephone Numbering

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to combat scammers using Ministry of Justice telephone numbers.

Mike Freer: The HM Revenue & Customs telephone scam has been a serious concern for UK citizens, with many individuals being defrauded of significant sums of money. The scam involves faking caller line identification to make it appear as if the scammers are phoning from a valid HM Courts & Tribunal Service number. In October 2022, this number was listed as "Do Not Originate" (DNO) via OFCOM, which has resulted in a significant drop in fraudulent call volumes from 30-40 per day to negligible numbers. This DNO list is shared amongst telecommunication companies (telco) globally, preventing any telco from permitting this number to be faked as a Caller-ID. The National Cyber Security Centre recommends using a tool called Domain Message Authentication Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) to prevent scammers from using fake addresses when sending text messages. However, fraudsters can still find ways to send fake messages even with DMARC in place. To solve this problem, a registry called SMS SenderID Protection is being used to pre-approve sender addresses. This can help make sure that text messages are only delivered if they come from an approved sender.

Prisons: Pepper Spray

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of equipping prison staff with PAVA incapacitant spray on the (a) principle of explain or reform and (b) public sector equality duty.

Damian Hinds: PAVA is intended to protect staff and prisoners in very serious assaults. Safe implementation of PAVA use is accompanied by clear and explicit guidance ensuring staff are confident as to when PAVA spray should be used. Staff can use the PAVA spray where there is serious violence or an imminent or perceived risk of it, and there is an immediate need to create a safe and protective environment.During the pilot in 4 prisons in 2018 an Equality Impact Assessment was produced in line with HMPPS’s public sector equality duty. The national rollout of PAVA will be evaluated, the scope of which has been expanded to look at Use of Force as a whole to provide insight and learning and inform our practice. We are taking steps to better understand potential causes of disproportionality and identify appropriate actions to address them, applying the explain or reform principle where appropriate.

Electronic Tagging

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the policy paper entitled Thematic inspection on electronic monitoring, published on 22 January 2023, what steps his Department has taken to implement the recommendation that Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service work with the police and children’s social care at a national level to ensure that probation practitioners in every region are provided with domestic abuse and safeguarding checks in a timely manner.

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to HM Inspectorate of Prison and Probation Service's report on Thematic inspection on electronic monitoring, published 22 January 2023, what steps his Department has taken to implement the recommendation that HMPPS mandate the requirement to make domestic abuse and safeguarding checks before recommending a sentence or release on electronically monitored curfew.

Damian Hinds: We are investing an extra £5.5 million a year to recruit probation staff who are specifically responsible for accessing domestic abuse information held by police forces and children’s safeguarding information held by local authorities. HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) has worked with the Association of Directors of Children’s Services, the Department for Education and the National Police Chiefs’ Council leads for Domestic Abuse and Public Protection to provide support at national level to Probation Regions to access information from police and children’s services. The then Chief Probation Officer also wrote to all Children’s Services Directors and Chief Constables to alert them to the introduction of mandatory checks for domestic abuse and in relation to child safeguarding in electronic monitoring cases. The Chief Probation Officer highlighted the additional investment and placed the new mandatory checks in the context of the shared priority of the safety and welfare of adults and children who may be at risk.HM Inspectorate of Probation published the Thematic Inspection on Electronic Monitoring in January 2022. HMPPS mandated that enquiries to police forces and children’s services should be made in all cases where there is a recommendation for an electronically monitored curfew from April 2022 (in addition to those cases where they were already required). The then Chief Probation Officer and the Executive Director for HMPPS Wales and Public Protection held an all staff event to reinforce the importance of making enquiries. The new Chief Probation Officer has been clear with all staff that this is one of her top priorities.

Probation: Equality

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with His Majesty's Prison and Probations Service on the potential merits of using the Equalities Monitoring Tool to explore data on disproportionality in offender outcomes.

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) breadth and (b) disaggregation of data collected on ethnicity as part of the Equalities Monitoring Tool.

Damian Hinds: We recognise that race disparities persist in the Criminal Justice System, and we are committed taking a data-driven and evidence-led approach to enable us to address these disparities across the MoJ.The Equalities Monitoring Tool enables us to do this, alongside other information that prisons hold to explain or take action to change unfair outcomes. This enables us to identify prisoner demographic trends and highlight disproportionality amongst ethnic and other protected characteristic communities.Revisions are currently being considered to the tool which will show disproportionality in a more simple and easily interpretable way.

Evictions: Prisoners

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of provision for terminating single occupancy tenancy agreements when tenants have been given a custodial sentence.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to strengthen provision for terminating single occupancy tenancy agreements when tenants have been given a custodial sentence.

Damian Hinds: Neither the Assured tenancy framework under the Housing Act 1988 used by private registered providers of social housing and private landlords, or the Secure tenancy framework under the Housing Act 1985 used by local authority landlords, include a ground for possession for when a tenant, whether single or joint, receives a custodial sentence. Individuals who have been given custodial sentences receive support from Commissioned Rehabilitative Services who assist in the management of tenancy agreements and support prisoners to end tenancies at the start of sentences where this is required.The Government is committed to abolishing Section 21 “no fault” evictions and will legislate via a Renters Reform Bill in this parliament. Landlords will always need a reason to evict their tenant in the new system and be prepared to evidence that reason in court. There will be comprehensive, fair and efficient grounds to ensure landlords have the confidence they can regain possession when it is reasonable. This includes retaining the current ground which landlords can use to evict tenants when they breach a relevant order put in place to prevent anti-social behaviour or have been convicted of a specified serious criminal offence. The notice period for this ground will be reduced from 4 weeks to 2 weeks, with landlords being able to make a claim to the court immediately, to ensure they can take swift action in these defined circumstances.

Suicide: Gambling

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in what circumstances a coroner will register a suicide as being related to gambling.

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, , in what circumstances a death certificate will describe a suicide as being related to gambling.

Mike Freer: The information recorded by the coroner in the Record of Inquest is dependent on the circumstances of the individual case and is at the coroner’s discretion as an independent judicial office holder in the exercise of their statutory functions. The register is completed by the Registrar using the coroner’s certificate after inquest, and will record the medical cause of death and the conclusion of the inquest. A death certificate contains the same information as the register entry.The Government recognises that quality information on the circumstances leading to self-harm and suicide, including issues relating to gambling addiction, can support better interventions. However, whilst coroners may be made aware of information about the motivation or contributory factors in a suicide, it cannot be guaranteed that consistent and comprehensive information on a deceased person’s background will be made available to the coroner in every case.In addition, expecting coroners to routinely assess the motivation for individual suicides would take the coronial role fundamentally beyond its legal parameters, which are to determine who died, and how, when and where they died.However, in addition to the inquest conclusion, coroners have a statutory duty to make a Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) report to a person where an investigation gives rise to a concern that future deaths will occur, and the coroner considers that action should be taken to reduce that risk. PFD reports are about learning and improvements to public health, welfare and safety and could, for example, raise concerns relating to gambling addiction where the circumstances of an individual case give rise to a concern. To promote learning, all PFD reports and the responses to them must be provided to the Chief Coroner, and most are published on the judiciary website.

Electronic Tagging

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to recommendation eight of HM Inspectorate of Probation's report entitled The use of electronic monitoring as a tool for the Probation Service in reducing reoffending and managing risk, published in January 2022, in how many and what proportion of probation cases HM Prison and Probation Service conducted domestic abuse and safeguarding checks before recommending a sentence or release on electronically monitored curfew in (a) 2021 and (b) 2022.

Damian Hinds: The information requested is not held for the period specified. HM Prison and Probation Service mandated that enquiries to police and children’s services should be made in all cases where there is a recommendation for an electronically monitored curfew from April 2022 (in addition to those cases where they were already required).

Department for Business and Trade

Department for Business and Trade: Departmental Responsibilities

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when her Department plans to publish the list of ministerial responsibilities.

Nigel Huddleston: Ministerial responsibilities will be published in due course.

Members: Correspondence

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when she plans to respond to correspondence of 4 October 2022 from the hon. Member for Lewisham East, case reference JD30155.

Nigel Huddleston: This correspondence was replied to on 19th April 2023.

Business: Ethics

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she is taking steps to encourage businesses to update their Corporate Social Responsibility polices.

Kevin Hollinrake: British business has an outstanding reputation for corporate responsibility, with 10 of the world’s top 100 companies ranked by social responsibility based in the UK. These companies thrive within the UK’s world leading corporate reporting and governance frameworks. For example, the Companies Act 2006 requires directors to have regard to the environment, employees, customers, and suppliers, among other matters. Larger companies are required to report how directors have had regard to these matters when taking decisions to promote companies’ success. This is in addition to requirements to disclose information relating to social matters, human rights and corruption within annual reports.

Health: Working Hours

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer on 27 March 2023 to Question 169324 on Health: Working Hours, what plans her Department has to (a) ensure health protections for night-time workers in addition to those in the Working Time Regulations, (b) review the existing Working Time Regulations to ensure they are sufficient in ensuring health protections for night workers and (c) set out plans to institute mandatory periodic reviews of night shift workers to ensure their wellbeing while in that employment.

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer on 30 March 2023 to Question 167151 on Health: Working Hours, what assessment her Department has made of (a) levels of adherence by employers to the Regulations with regard to night-work and (b) the level of effectiveness of the Working Time Regulations in ensuring health protections for night workers.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Working Time Regulations provide specific protections to night workers. Before someone starts working at night, they must be offered a free health assessment to see if they are fit to work nights before they become a night worker and on a regular basis after that. A record of this must be kept by the employer. Employers must also make sure that night-time workers do not work more than an average of 8 hours in a 24-hour period. Employers can make collective or workforce agreements to change or exclude this limit.

Health: Working Hours

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer on 27 March 2023 to Question 169324 on Health: Working Hours, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of night shift working on the health and well-being of health workers; and if she will make a statement.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Working Time Regulations provide specific protections to night workers. Before someone starts working at night, they must be offered a free health assessment to see if they are fit to work nights before they become a night worker and on a regular basis after that. A record of this must be kept by the employer. Employers must also make sure that night-time workers do not work more than an average of 8 hours in a 24-hour period. Employers can make collective or workforce agreements to change or exclude this limit.

Conditions of Employment

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with which trade unions her Department has had discussions on legislative proposals relating to employment since she became Secretary of State.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government is supporting six Private Members Bills to increase workforce participation, protect vulnerable workers, and level the playing field, ensuring unscrupulous businesses do not have a competitive advantage. Relevant trade unions were consulted prior to and throughout the development of these reforms.The Government regularly discusses legislative proposals with the trade unions and has recently engaged with unions on the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill, which is currently progressing through the House of Lords.I recently met with Trades Union Congress, and the Secretary of State is also scheduled to meet with the General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress in April to discuss shared interests.

Regulation

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade,  what (a) hard copy and (b) electronic records his Department holds of units dedicated to better regulation since 2010.

Kevin Hollinrake: All documents, including those relating to ministerial decisions and assessment of options, have been retained in line with the relevant Departmental retention policies and legislation applicable at the time.

Equal Pay: Ethnic Groups

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of introducing compulsory ethnicity pay gap reporting.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the ethnicity pay gap.

Kevin Hollinrake: This Government remains committed to tackling all areas of disparities in this country, including in employment. It is crucial that everyone is treated fairly in the workplace, so that they can thrive and reach their full potential and we want to ensure that everyone has access to the same employment opportunities. Ethnicity pay gap reporting is just one type of tool to assist employers in doing this and it may not always be the most appropriate mechanism for some types of organisation. Therefore, as set out in the “Inclusive Britain” report published in March 2022, the Government will not be legislating to make ethnicity pay reporting mandatory at this stage. Instead we have produced guidance to support those who wish to report voluntarily.  This was published earlier this month.

Department for Business and Trade: India

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many of her Department's staff are based in India; where those staff are based; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Huddleston: In India, 121 staff members work for Department for Business and Trade across 9 locations. The table below shows the regional presence of employees across the India network. The total number of staff includes members of the UK Export Finance and Export Support Services teams too. All staff are on full time equivalent roles. STATE - POST - STAFF COUNTDELHI - NEW DELHI - 40MAHARASHTRA - MUMBAI - 37KARNATAKA - BANGALORE- 18TAMIL NADU - CHENNAI - 6TELANGANA - HYDERABAD - 6WEST BENGAL - KOLKATA - 5MAHARASHTRA - PUNE - 4GUJARAT- AHMEDABAD - 3**PUNJAB &HARYANA CHANDIGARH - 2Grand Total: 121** Chandigarh is the joint capital of the two neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana

Regulation

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will provide a list of his Department units tasked with assessing deregulation opportunities between 1997-2016.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what units in his Department were tasked with assessing deregulation opportunities from 1997 to 2016.

Kevin Hollinrake: In 1999, the Regulatory Impact Unit in the Cabinet Office was established and had responsibility for coordinating all deregulatory and regulatory delivery across departments. The Better Regulation Executive (BRE) was set up in the Cabinet Office in 2005 and moved to the Department for Business, Energy and Regulatory Reform (BERR) in 2008. The Red Tape Challenge was a Cabinet Office-led initiative tasked with identifying deregulatory opportunities, which ran between 2011 and 2014.

Employment Tribunals Service

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when the first list of employers who have not paid employment tribunal awards within a reasonable time will be published under the employment tribunal naming scheme.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to help increase the level of timely payment of employment tribunal awards.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an estimate of the (a) number and (b) cost of penalties placed on employers for failure to pay an employment tribunal award in each year since 2019.

Kevin Hollinrake: Workers should receive the money they are owed. We are committed to ensuring this happens and that they are protected from exploitation. The Department offers the Employment Tribunal Unpaid Award Penalties Scheme as a free way for parties to incentivise prompt payment for their awards. The scheme operates as part of a wider system of enforcement options such as the Fast Track scheme in England & Wales and the civil courts. Data held on Employment Tribunal Penalties is derived from a live case management system used for internal purposes which has not been subject to sufficient validation that would be required for us to be confident in releasing this to Parliament at this time. We will consider what data we may be able to publish on this subject in the future as we recognise the importance of transparency in this area. The Government is also currently reviewing at what point it is appropriate to start to use the powers that we have to name employers who do not pay relevant awards.

Small Businesses: Billing

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2022 to Question 146960 on Small Businesses: Billing, when she plans to publish the findings of the Prompt payment and cash flow review.

Kevin Hollinrake: As set out in the published terms of reference (www.gov.uk/government/publica-tions/prompt-payment-and-cash-flow-review/payment-and-cash-flow-review-terms-of-refer-ence), we will publish a conclusions document in 2023 which will:• summarise our findings in response to the engagement undertaken, and next steps;• respond to the consultation on the Payment Practices and Performance Regulations 2017;• set out the findings of the statutory review on the performance of the Small Business Commissioner.

Overseas Trade: USA

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions she has had with her US counterpart on reducing market barriers for UK firms to trade at the state level in the United States.

Nigel Huddleston: My honourable friend is right to raise opportunities to boost trade at the state level. Just last week, I signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Oklahoma, our fourth with an individual US state, which provides a framework to promote British business and tackle barriers to trade.We are also supporting professional bodies and regulators to remove barriers at the state level, including through recognition of professional qualifications. Last week, I attended the launch of an architecture Mutual Recognition Agreement between British and American regulators which we estimate could increase UK services exports to the US by £40 million per annum.

Overseas Trade: Guatemala

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she is taking steps to help improve trade relations with Guatemala.

Nigel Huddleston: The UK is working to enhance trade with Guatemala through effective implementation and utilisation of the UK-Central America Association Agreement. Trade between the UK and Guatemala increased by 6% between 2021 and 2022. The agreement includes annual committees that allow us to address market access issues. Recently, His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Latin America and the Caribbean, Jonathan Knott, visited Guatemala in September to champion UK trade, including UKEF support for UK businesses to help develop major projects in the country.

Land: Ownership

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will take steps to introduce an ownership transparency register for land and buildings in town centres.

Kevin Hollinrake: This is an area in which there is already a high level of transparency. HM Land Registry holds publicly accessible records of the registered proprietors of land and buildings in England and Wales.If the registered proprietor is a UK company or an overseas entity, information about the company and its people with significant control, or, in the case of an overseas entity, its beneficial owners, is publicly available from Companies House.Further measures to enhance land transparency are being brought forward by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities via the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill, currently passing through Parliament.

Small Businesses: Exports

Richard Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to ensure that her Department's export support team has the resources it requires to assist small businesses.

Nigel Huddleston: As set out in the Export Strategy, the Export Support Service (ESS) is integral to how we support Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). Ensuring that it is adequately funded and resourced is our priority. The Department for Business and Trade is planning to spend over £200 million, over the Spending Review period, to support SMEs.The ESS provides a range of support and guidance to help SMEs with on-the-ground experts across the globe and, together with our innovative Export Academy, we are ensuring businesses have the knowledge to thrive in international markets.

Cosmetics: Ethnic Groups

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department has made an assessment of the impact of hair relaxers containing lye on (a) the health of black women and (b) associated health outcomes and inequalities experienced by black women.

Kevin Hollinrake: An assessment of the impact of hair relaxers containing lye on the health of, or associated health outcomes experienced by, black women has not been undertaken by the Department. Lye is already a restricted substance under annex III of the Cosmetics Regulations 2009. There are specific rules in place both for general and professional use of cosmetic products containing this ingredient. The Office for Product Safety and Standards, in its role as the regulator for cosmetic products, often commissions scientific assessment of the safety of chemicals. If new evidence becomes available, the Government will take the appropriate action to ensure the safety of consumers.

Exports

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent steps her Department is taking to support businesses to export.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government’s Export Strategy supports UK business through a 12-Point Plan that targets barriers to trade and makes Government support easier to access through our trans-formed Export Support Service. We continue to drive awareness of the UK’s Free Trade Agreements to ensure businesses reap the full benefits from these.The creation of the Department for Business and Trade presents a huge opportunity to maximise our business support including the new ‘Help to Grow’ initiative that helps SMEs scale up then export globally as well as access to the right finance via UK Export Finance and the British Business Bank.

Consumers: Protection

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to improve consumer protection for victims of rogue traders.

Kevin Hollinrake: The DMCC Bill includes a delegated power to amend the list of unfair practices in the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. This power will keep consumer protections up-to-date and responsive to emerging harms from rogue traders that impact consumers.The first intended use of this power is to tackle fake and misleading reviews which will be consulted on during Bill passage.Through the Consumer Protection Partnership, we will be delivering two campaigns this year that will focus on how consumers can protect themselves against scams and how to report a scam to help protect others.

Small Businesses: Exports

Richard Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions she has had with the Federation of Small Business about the role of small firms in increasing exports.

Nigel Huddleston: Small and medium sized business are the backbone of our economy and central to achieving our ambition to reach £1 trillion in exports annually by 2030, which is why they are the focus of the Department for Business and Trade and UK government support. The Federation of Small Business is an important champion of small businesses and the Secretary of State values DBT’s regular engagement with this key stakeholder at ministerial and official level. The Secretary of State met the FSB along with other leading business representative organisations on 13 March with another meeting planned for April.

Trade Agreements: Conditions of Employment

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had recent meetings with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that UK trade deals protect workers rights and prevent forced labour.

Nigel Huddleston: The Secretary of State regularly engages with Cabinet colleagues on a wide range of issues. The UK is committed to ensuring trade supports an environment where workers’ rights are upheld, including working towards the eradication of modern slavery (including forced labour) in global supply chains.  In our new free trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand, for example, we have secured labour chapters containing strong modern slavery provisions, which support our global efforts in this area.

Trade Promotion: Africa

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to increase trade with growing economies in Africa.

Nigel Huddleston: My department has a team of experts across Africa supporting British businesses to thrive and increasing trade and investment. We are using our 9 trade agreements covering 18 African nations to grow trade. These provide preferential access to UK markets for African goods and frameworks for cooperation. The Developing Countries Trading Scheme will lower tariffs to support an additional 33 African countries to increase exports. We are also working bilaterally to deepen relationships with growing African economies. In 2024, the Prime Minister will host the second UK-African Investment Summit to showcase investment opportunities and advance two-way trade.

Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of the UK's accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership on the UK's greenhouse gas emissions.

Nigel Huddleston: The initial analysis published in the Government’s scoping assessment suggests that UK accession to CPTPP is not expected to have significant impacts on greenhouse gas emissions (CO2 and Non-CO2) and energy usage.

Online Intermediation Services for Business Users (Enforcement) Regulations 2020

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department plans to reform the Online Intermediation Services for Business Users (Enforcement) Regulations 2020 following the passage of the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Department for Business and Trade is reviewing all REUL in line with usual policy development to determine whether to repeal, replace or preserve it.The Government will, in due course, provide further information regarding its plans for the Online Intermediation Services for Business Users (Enforcement) Regulations 2020.

Trade Missions: Gujarat

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April to Question 174176 on Trade Missions: Gujarat, (a) who led and (b) which businesses took part in each mission; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Huddleston: The following business missions visited Ahmedabad in the last five years. 1. UK Life Sciences mission to Vibrant Gujarat Global Investment Summit in January 2017Mission led by: Sir Dominic Asquith, BHC IndiaUK participation: Absynth Biologics, Bioguard Hygiene, Cambridge Consultants, Grant Thornton, Indoor Biotechnologies, National Institute for Healthcare Research, O2H Ventures, PA Consulting Group, QX and Woodley Bioreg. 2. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) visit to Ahmedabad in May 2019Mission led by: Department for International Trade officialsUK participation: Dr Ian Hudson, Chief Executive Officer, MHRA 3.UK Life Sciences trade delegation to Ahmedabad in September 2019Mission led by: Department for International Trade officialsUK participation: Britest, ChargePoint Technology, Chief.AI, Enzbond, Intract Pharma, LightQx, Malvern Panalytical, Micropore, One Health Ventures, Proimmune, Scitegrity, Sphere Fluidics, Stemnovate, Veratrak and Viridian. 4. UK Defence delegation to Ahmedabad in October 2022Mission led by: UK Defence and Security ExportsUK participation: Aerospace Logistics, Avon Protection, BAE Systems, Eaton Aerospace (Cobham), Expleo Group, GE Power Conversion, Hensoldt, Innovation DB, JFD, Kongsberg Maritime, Leoardo, MBDA UK, Pearson Engineering, Reliance, Precision, Ricardo, Rolls Rocyce, Smiths Detection, Strongfield Technologies, Survitec, Thales UK, Ultra Electronics and Webley & Scott 5.Wales Government outreach to Ahmedabad in February 2023Mission led by: Department for International Trade officialsUK participation: Welsh Government officials 6.CPI Life Sciences outreach to Ahmedabad in February 2023Mission led by: Department for International Trade and Science & Innovation Network officialsUK participation: Dave Tudor Managing Director and John Arthur, Director, Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre, and Biologics, UK, and Arun Harish, Strategy Director and Cristina Blood, Senior Strategic Marketing Manager, CPI UK 7.UK Airport mission to Ahmedabad in February 2023Mission led by: Department for International Trade officialsUK participation: British Aviation Group, Arup, Aurrigo, Foster + Partners, GATIC, Gillespie, Grimshaw, IAC, ICAD, ICF, IPSOTEK, NATS, TEX ATC and Zoeftig. 8.UKRI Foundation Industries mission to Ahmedabad in March 2023Mission led by: UKRI and Innovate UK supported by Glass Futures, the Manufacturing Technology Centre and Knowledge Transfer NetworkUK participation: Ai.Build, AiM Micromed, Carbon Re, CO2CO, Global Nano Network, Hexigone Inhibibitors, Material Evolution, Nanomax and The Glass Company

Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment her department has made on the potential impact of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership on the sovereignty of the United Kingdom.

Nigel Huddleston: As a free trade area connecting a wide group of economies, CPTPP creates opportunities to deepen our trading links across the Americas and Asia-Pacific region.It does not require us to cede sovereignty over our laws, borders, trade policy or money and as a sovereign nation we have the right to regulate as we see fit and in the best interests of the UK.

Technology: Trade Promotion

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to increase trade opportunities for the technology sector.

Nigel Huddleston: The Prime Minister has set a clear ambition to grow the UK as a Science and Technology Superpower. Core to this is the need to have UK companies growing through international expansion. My Department is supporting this growth through our teams in over 100 countries, sourcing opportunities for UK companies in sectors such as AI and Quantum. DBT also supports tech companies to access global markets through putting them on the world stage at large overseas trade shows such as Mobile World Congress and Web Summit. The Export Academy, which supports businesses from all sectors, and the Export Support Service – International Markets, which handled over 9,600 enquiries since launch in April 2022 - February 2023, help organisations with their international expansion.

Trade Promotion: St Kitts and Nevis

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department plans to appoint a trade envoy to St Kitts and Nevis.

Nigel Huddleston: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 23 March 2023, UIN 167068.

Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what benefit joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership will have for the economy.

Nigel Huddleston: CPTPP will act as a gateway to the Indo-Pacific, one of the most dynamic and fastest growing regions on earth.The Indo Pacific is expected to account for the majority of global growth by 2050.CPTPP will grow almost 40% faster than the EU, over the next three decades.And membership of the bloc will enhance access to a market of over 500m consumers for the UK's goods and services.

Aircraft: Carbon Emissions

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to help encourage the manufacture of new zero-emission aircraft.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: As part of the Jet Zero Strategy, government co-invests in zero-carbon aircraft technology through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) Programme. To date, it has supported collaborative R&D projects totalling over £500m which will help develop new and enabling technologies for zero emission aircraft. Government provided a £15m grant to the ATI-led FlyZero project, which found that green liquid hydrogen offers the greatest potential to power future zero-carbon emission aircraft. Building on FlyZero, government is funding the ATI-led ‘Hydrogen Capability Network Phase 0 Project’ to accelerate the development of liquid hydrogen propulsion aircraft technologies, capabilities and skills in the UK. Government also set up the Jet Zero Council, a partnership with industry to drive the ambitious delivery of new technologies and innovative ways to cut aviation emissions. It includes a focused Zero Emission Flight Delivery Group to advise on how government and industry can put the UK in a leading position in the race to achieve zero emission flight.

Foreign Investment: Commonwealth

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to (a) encourage foreign direct investment from member states of the Commonwealth into the UK and (b) promote UK foreign direct investment into member states of the Commonwealth.

Nigel Huddleston: Investors from Commonwealth member states benefit from our Investment Strategy, which radically improves our long-term offer, ensuring that the UK remains one of the most competitive destinations for internationally mobile investment. In 2021-22 Department for International Trade network teams assisted 209 FDI projects in Commonwealth countries which created 12,268 total jobs. Commonwealth member states will also benefit from the support the Department for Business and Trade provides to UK-based companies’ outward investments where there is a positive impact on the UK economy. The Commonwealth Trade Ministers Meeting in June 2023 will provide the opportunity to further discuss the ambition to boost intra-Commonwealth trade to $2 trillion by 2030.

Holiday Leave

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of issuing guidance to businesses on the potential merits of calculating holiday entitlement on the basis of hours worked on average across the year for people who work more than their contracted number of hours.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government has recently consulted on how holiday entitlement is calculated for part-year and irregular hours workers. As part of our response to this consultation, we will consider what additional Government guidance may be required to help employers in calculating holiday entitlement for their workers including those who work more than their contracted hours.

Postal Services: Fees and Charges

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions she has had with Royal Mail on the impact on consumers of the rise of the cost of postal services.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government does not have a role in Royal Mail’s commercial decisions, including the prices of stamps and other services.In setting its prices, Royal Mail must observe the regulatory framework set by Ofcom which imposes prices controls, ‘safeguard caps’, on certain second-class products to ensure a basic universal service is available to all at affordable prices.Ofcom will conduct a public consultation in 2023-24 to inform a review of the safeguard caps that should apply from April 2024.

Department for Education

Home Education: Registration

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of introducing a statutory registration system for children not in school on home educators.

Nick Gibb: The Department completed all relevant and required impact assessments when the Children Not in School measures were part of the Schools Bill.The Children Not in School measures were subject to a thorough equalities impact assessment, which considered the impact on families with different protected characteristics, and a regulatory impact assessment which looked at the impact measures will have on businesses and charities. A summary of these impact assessments have been published online as part of the Schools Bill impact assessment document, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-bill-impact-assessment.The Department also conducted a Local Authority new burdens assessment in relation to the implementation and maintenance of the register, and the Department is in the process of finalising our data protection impact assessment with the Information Commissioner’s Office prior to the Schools Bill being discontinued. This remains with the Information Commissioner’s Office for consideration.When a suitable legislative opportunity arises to take forward the Children Not in School measures, all necessary assessments will be reviewed.

Schools: Literacy

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase literacy in schools.

Nick Gibb: This Government is committed to continuing to raise literacy standards to give all pupils a solid base upon which to build as they progress through school. Scores in international assessments such as the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) have improved notably, particularly for boys and the lowest performing pupils, narrowing the gap between the higher and lower performing pupils. PIRLS scores are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pirls-2016-reading-literacy-performance-in-england.In 2018, the Department launched the £26.3 million English Hubs Programme, which is dedicated to improving the teaching of reading, with a focus on supporting children making the slowest progress in reading. It has since provided appropriate and targeted support to several thousands of schools across England.In 2021, the Department published non-statutory guidance aimed at improving the teaching of the foundations of reading in primary schools.The Department’s measures also include an updated list of validated phonics programmes, funding for the purchase of phonics programmes and a new National Professional Qualification for Leading Literacy.

Sixth Form Education: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase the number of sixth form places in the London Borough of Havering.

Robert Halfon: The department launched a second round of the post-16 capacity fund in September 2022. This made up to £140 million available to provide additional capacity in 16-19 providers, in areas where there is due to be a demographic increase in students in September 2024 and there is not enough existing capacity to accommodate that increase. We will announce the outcome this spring. Successful projects are expected to complete and accommodate additional students from September 2024.Havering Sixth Form Campus is part of New City College, and supports a wide range of learning options for 16-18 year olds in the borough, as promoted by our further education skills reform agenda, more employment focused learning, technical education through T Levels, and a wide range of apprenticeships.

Schools: Inspections

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools were inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate in each local authority in each of the last five years; and what type of inspection was performed on each occasion.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate were found to have concerns around safeguarding practice in each local authority in each of the last five years.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate that were found to have concerns around (a) safeguarding practice and (b) related issues had restrictions imposed on their (i) intake and (ii) activities in each local authority in each of the last five years.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate that were found to have concerns around (a) safeguarding practice and (b) related issues had restrictions imposed on their (i) intake and (ii) activities in each local authority area as of April 2023.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report by Ofsted entitled Review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges, published on 10 June 2021, whether he has asked the Independent Schools Inspectorate to conduct a similar review.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many meetings she has had with the Independent Schools Inspectorate since 25 October 2022.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, by what process the Independent Schools Inspectorate was appointed to act as the inspectorate for private schools; and with what frequency that appointment is (a) made and (b) reviewed.

Nick Gibb: The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) has published reports of all inspections carried out over the past five years. Each report includes school location, type of inspection and whether there were safeguarding concerns. Reports can be found at: https://www.isi.net/reports.No schools currently inspected by ISI are subject to any current restriction imposed by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. Over the past five years, no school has been subject to restriction while it was subject to ISI inspection.The Government asked Ofsted to carry out a rapid review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges and to report on its findings. ISI were involved in that Ofsted-led review and their work has been informed by its conclusions. It is, therefore, not necessary to ask ISI to undertake a separate review. A copy of the published review which details ISI’s involvement and next steps can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-sexual-abuse-in-schools-and-colleges/review-of-sexual-abuse-in-schools-and-colleges#methodology.The Department regularly engages with ISI. On a ministerial level, my noble Friend, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the School System and Student Finance, most recently met with Vanessa Ward, ISI’s Chief Executive-Chief Inspector, in November 2022.The terms of ISI’s current approval, and plans to review, are set out in the letter published at: https://www.isi.net/230329_ISI_approval_to_inspect_2023_website.pdf. The decision to approve took into account the matters prescribed by the Independent Inspectorates (Education and Boarding Accommodation) Regulations 2014.

Relationships and Sex Education

Wendy Morton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of including knife crime awareness in the relationships, health and sex education curriculum.

Nick Gibb: The subjects of relationships education for primary school pupils, relationships and sex education for secondary school pupils, and health education for all pupils in state-funded schools became compulsory in state funded schools in September 2020 and can help address the underlying causes of knife and gun crime.Whilst the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance does not mention knife crime explicitly, it does reference situations that often lead young people to carry weapons. These include criminal exploitation though involvement in gangs and county lines drugs operations, and the grooming relationships that often accompany this.As with other aspects of the curriculum, schools will have flexibility over how they deliver these subjects, so they can develop an integrated approach that is sensitive to the needs and backgrounds of their pupils.Issues around knife crime can also be taught as part of a school’s wider curriculum. For example, schools can choose to include lessons on weapons awareness and gangs as part of their personal, social, health and economic education or citizenship curriculum.The Department has recently brought forward the review of the RSHE statutory guidance. As part of this, the Department will explore whether any more content is required. The Department expects to consult on guidance in the autumn and publish revised guidance in early 2024.

Private Education: Fees and Charges

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of whether state schools have sufficient capacity to accommodate the number of additional pupils who would leave independent schools in the event that VAT were to be levied on independent school fees.

Nick Gibb: The Government has no plans to make changes to the VAT regime for independent schools. Therefore, it is not necessary to make any assessment of the capacity of state schools to accommodate additional pupils in the event VAT were levied on independent school fees.

Students: Fees and Charges

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the extent to which tuition fees for home students cover the actual costs of degree delivery across various subjects for UK universities.

Robert Halfon: The Office for Students collect and publish sector-level data on income and full economic cost by type of activity including publicly funded teaching (which relates to domestic and EU domiciled students, but not international students). The latest published data can be found here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/annual-trac-2020-21/.As part of the 2019 Augur Review on Post-18 Education and Funding, the department commissioned and published a report by KPMG on the cost of undergraduate provision which looked at the variation in costs of teaching per student across subjects and providers. The report can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-undergraduate-higher-education-provision.The department also published a related analytical note on subject variations in the cost of teaching an undergraduate, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/post-18-review-of-education-and-funding-supporting-statistics.

Apprentices: Degrees

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the diversity of the (a) socioeconomic background, (b) ethnic heritage or origin and (c) gender of students who successfully secure a degree apprenticeship.

Robert Halfon: The department has seen year-on-year growth in the number of ethnic minority, female, and people from the most deprived areas starting apprenticeships at Levels 6 and 7.That said, the department wants to see more people access degree level apprenticeships.To achieve this, the department is making up to £40 million available to higher education providers to improve access to apprenticeships over the next two years, on top of the £8 million investment in 2022/23. The department is also increasing the care leavers bursary from £1,000 to £3,000 and continues to promote degree apprenticeships in schools and further education (FE) colleges to students of all backgrounds, through our Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme.In addition, we are working with UCAS on the expansion of their apprenticeships service. From this autumn, young people will see more personalised options on UCAS, including apprenticeships. This will help put technical and vocational education on an equal footing with traditional academic routes.

GCE A-level: English Baccalaureate

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether it is her Department's policy to replace A-Levels with a British Baccalaureate.

Nick Gibb: The Government is clear that all pupils should be able to access a broad and balanced curriculum up to the age of 16. With this broad grounding, pupils are then able to specialise, choosing from a range of high quality academic and technical pathways.A levels are internationally respected academic qualifications taken by large numbers of pupils every year. A levels command very high levels of public confidence, with large majorities regarding them as trusted qualifications.A levels were reformed from 2015 to ensure they adequately prepare young people for the demands of higher study and the workplace. Reforms to the curriculum and qualifications have raised standards and made a lasting improvement to the system. There are no plans to remove or replace A levels.

Teachers: Walsall South

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Walsall South constituency do not have qualified teacher status.

Nick Gibb: Information on the school workforce in England is published in the annual ‘School Workforce in England’ national statistics release, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.The number of teachers without qualified teacher status in all state funded schools in England, including a breakdown by primary and secondary, and by local authority, is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/29d83b82-2aba-44c7-bb82-08db371944c7.Data relating to schools in individual constituencies can be found in the ‘teacher and support staff numbers by school’ file, within the additional supporting files section, available at: https://content.explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/api/releases/0728fb07-f014-492c-aac9-fd11bb441601/files/2dfcc772-c410-46ac-cb9d-08da713e9200.There are 24,000 more teachers now than in 2010. The quality of teaching is the most important in school factor in improving outcomes for children, especially for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Evidence is clear that high quality professional development can lead to improved pupil attainment.The Department has invested in transforming training for teachers and head teachers. Every teacher and head teacher now has access to high quality, evidence based training and professional development at every stage of their career, starting with initial teacher training (ITT).By 2024, a reformed ITT provider market will be delivering quality assured training leading to qualified teacher status (QTS) that places a greater emphasis than ever before on embedding structured practice into courses, ensuring trainees are ready to thrive in the classroom.A new system of higher quality training provider partnerships will be supported by £36 million to introduce new Quality Requirements, including better training for mentors and the delivery of new, cutting edge, intensive training, and practice activity. Every teaching school hub will be involved in ITT to ensure that training places are available across the country.QTS is considered desirable for teachers in most schools in England. In some schools, including academies, free schools, and independent schools, QTS is not a legal requirement. Academies have a fundamental freedom to employ talented people who do not necessarily have QTS.Most teachers in all schools, including academies, have QTS and have undertaken initial teacher training. In the 2021/22 academic year, the latest data available, 14,771 teachers (headcount) did not have qualified teacher status, equivalent to 2.9% of teachers.

Teachers: Putney

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Putney constituency do not have qualified teacher status.

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in the Sefton Central constituency do not have qualified teacher status.

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in the Nottingham South constituency do not have qualified teacher status.

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Manchester Withington constituency do not have qualified teacher status.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Kingston Upon Hull North constituency do not have qualified teacherstatus.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Enfield North constituency.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in the York Central constituency do not have qualified teacher status.

Nick Gibb: Information on the school workforce in England is published in the annual ‘School Workforce in England’ national statistics release, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.The number of teachers without qualified teacher status in all state funded schools in England, including a breakdown by primary and secondary, and by local authority, is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/29d83b82-2aba-44c7-bb82-08db371944c7.Data relating to schools in individual constituencies can be found in the ‘teacher and support staff numbers by school’ file, within the additional supporting files section, available at: https://content.explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/api/releases/0728fb07-f014-492c-aac9-fd11bb441601/files/2dfcc772-c410-46ac-cb9d-08da713e9200.There are 24,000 more teachers now than in 2010. The quality of teaching is the most important in school factor in improving outcomes for children, especially for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Evidence is clear that high quality professional development can lead to improved pupil attainment.The Department has invested in transforming training for teachers and head teachers. Every teacher and head teacher now has access to high quality, evidence based training and professional development at every stage of their career, starting with initial teacher training (ITT).By 2024, a reformed ITT provider market will be delivering quality assured training leading to qualified teacher status (QTS) that places a greater emphasis than ever before on embedding structured practice into courses, ensuring trainees are ready to thrive in the classroom.A new system of higher quality training provider partnerships will be supported by £36 million to introduce new Quality Requirements, including better training for mentors and the delivery of new, cutting edge, intensive training, and practice activity. Every teaching school hub will be involved in ITT to ensure that training places are available across the country.QTS is considered desirable for teachers in most schools in England. In some schools, including academies, free schools, and independent schools, QTS is not a legal requirement. Academies have a fundamental freedom to employ talented people who do not necessarily have QTS.Most teachers in all schools, including academies, have QTS and have undertaken initial teacher training. In the 2021/22 academic year, the latest data available, 14,771 teachers (headcount) did not have qualified teacher status, equivalent to 2.9% of teachers.

Free School Meals

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether eligible students can access free school meals when they have been withdrawn from school by their parent or guardian.

Nick Gibb: The Education Act 1996 places a duty on maintained schools and academies to provide free school meals (FSM) to pupils of all ages that meet the criteria for eligibility and who are attending school during term time. The Act makes clear that a child must be registered at a publicly funded school as a condition of claiming FSM. Free meals are not available to those who elect to undertake education from home, nor to pupils of private institutions.Schools should continue to provide free meals for registered pupils either on the school premises or at any other place where education is being provided.

Mental Health: Education

Lee Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing compulsory mental health lessons in schools.

Nick Gibb: Health education became a statutory part of the National Curriculum in September 2020. The aim of teaching pupils about physical health and mental wellbeing is to give them the information they need to make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing, recognise issues in themselves and others and, when issues arise, seek support as early as possible from appropriate sources.In primary school, pupils learn simple self-care techniques, including the importance of rest, time spent with friends and family and the benefits of hobbies and interests. At secondary school, teaching includes the benefits of community participation and voluntary and service-based activities on mental wellbeing and happiness.Pupils are taught how to recognise the early signs of mental wellbeing concerns, including common types of mental ill health, such as anxiety and depression. Pupils are also taught where and how to seek advice, including whom in school they should speak to if they are worried about their own or someone else’s mental wellbeing or ability to control their emotions.As part of the review of the relationships, sex and health education statutory guidance, the Department will undertake a deep dive into whether suicide prevention should be a statutory part of the curriculum.

Teachers: Languages

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many qualified teachers of Romanian there are in schools in Harrow; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Information on the school workforce in England, including subjects taught in state funded secondary schools, is collected as part of the annual School Workforce Census each November. Information is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication which is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.Information on the number of qualified teachers of Romanian is not collected by the Department. Any teachers of Romanian will be reported by schools to the Department within the ‘Other modern foreign languages’ category.It is up to individual schools to decide which languages are taught as part of their curriculum, both at primary and secondary school, and the Department does not specify which languages should be taught or how to teach them. When deciding which languages to teach their pupils, schools are likely to consider the needs of the community in which they serve. Schools would be able to teach pupils Romanian as a language option, if they thought there was sufficient demand to do so.In March 2023, the Department launched its new Language Hubs programme, managed by the National Consortium for Languages Education (NCLE) based at University College London’s Institute of Education. As part of this programme, the NCLE is expected to increase access to home, heritage, and community languages, signposting to supporting materials and good practice, and working more closely with supplementary schools.

Education and Training: Skilled Workers

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that education and training programmes meet local skills needs.

Robert Halfon: The department is working with colleagues across government to put employers at the heart of local skills systems, through the rollout of Local Skills Improvement Plans. These employer-led plans will help ensure that skills provision better meets the needs of employers and helps people develop the skills they need to get good jobs and succeed.Additionally, the Unit for Future Skills (UFS) was set up in 2022 to provide decision makers in the skills system with information they need to invest in the right skills to meet national and local employer needs and support economic growth.The UFS proactively works across departments and with organisations beyond government to:Improve the coverage and timeliness of jobs and skills data to provide a robust foundation of research and data.Structure and improve access to the data by linking up data sets, mapping education, skills and jobs at local levels and providing tools that enable exploration of the data.Provide insights to enable learning, thinking and discussion on skills data and research as a centre of expertise for skills data and future insights on the labour market.For example, the Local Skills Dashboard supports local skills planning and delivery, including up-to-date information and published data on local skills, education and employment. Data is provided at bespoke geographies, including Local Skills Improvement Plan areas, in an easy-to-navigate format alongside links to additional resources and data downloads. The dashboard is available at: https://department-for-education.shinyapps.io/local-skills-dashboard/.

Teachers: York Outer

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) science and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in the York Outer constituency in the last full year for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) science and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in the Peterborough constituency in the last full year for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) science and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in the Hendon constituency in the last full year for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) science and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in the Cities of London and Westminster constituency in the last full year for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) science and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in the Norwich North constituency in the last full year for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) science and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in the South Swindon constituency in the last full year for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) science and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in the Chingford & Woodford Green constituency in the last full year for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) science and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in the Bishop Auckland constituency in the last full year for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) science and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in the Penistone and Stocksbridge constituency in the last full year for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) science and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in the Burnley constituency in the last full year for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) science and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in the Erewash constituency in the last full year for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) science and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in the Shipley constituency in the last full year for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) science and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in the Bassetlaw constituency in the last full year for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) science and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in the Southampton Itchen constituency in the last full year for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) science and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in the Thurrock constituency in the last full year for which data are available.

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) sciences, and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who neither had a relevant A-level or higher qualification in Enfield North constituency in the last 12 months for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) sciences, and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools in Colchester constituency by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in the last full year for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) sciences, and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools in Finchley and Golders Green constituency by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in the last full year for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) sciences, and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools in Sedgefield constituency by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in the last full year for which data are available.

Nick Gibb: Information on the school workforce in England, including subjects taught in state funded secondary schools, is collected as part of the annual School Workforce Census each November. Information is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england. The total number of hours taught for each subject are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/38de2951-c92c-46e4-39fb-08db371965b6. The proportion of those hours that were taught by teachers without a relevant A level or higher level qualification are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/ee831a35-e304-4821-bb6a-08db371944c7. Timetabled teaching is reported for a typical week in November, as determined by the school. It does not cover an entire year of teaching. If there are variations in timetabling across the year, this is not covered in the data available to the Department. To reduce the burden during the COVID-19 pandemic, schools and Local Authorities were not required to provide information on teacher qualifications in the 2020 census. Data on the subject taught is only collected from secondary schools that use electronic timetabling software that can produce data in the format required. Data is then weighted to provide national totals. Breakdowns by Local Authority and parliamentary constituency are, therefore, not available.

Postgraduate Education: Languages

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will provide additional support for people studying for a languages PGCE who will not qualify for the higher bursary available to those starting in September this year.

Nick Gibb: The Department is providing a £15,000 tax free bursary for language trainees who have started initial teacher training (ITT) courses in the 2022/23 academic year. The Department reviews bursaries each year before deciding the amount for trainees starting ITT the following academic year. This review assesses several factors, including historic recruitment, forecast economic conditions, and teacher supply need in each subject.The final bursary amount is communicated to candidates considering ITT, so that they are aware before they apply to, and start their ITT course. As the bursaries are designed to incentivise applications to specific ITT courses, they cannot be awarded retrospectively to trainees who were not eligible when they applied.

Overseas Students: Training

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much financial support (a) was available in 2022-23 and (b) will be available in 2023-24 for international students training to teach languages.

Nick Gibb: To receive an initial teacher training (ITT) bursary or scholarship, trainees must usually be entitled to support under the Student Finance England criteria.For eligible languages trainees who have started ITT courses in the 2022/23 academic year, we are offering a £15,000 tax free bursary. EU nationals who were resident in the UK before the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020, and have pre-settled status or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, are eligible for student finance and ITT bursaries or scholarships on a similar basis to domestic students, subject to meeting the usual residence requirements.Other non-UK nationals are unlikely to be eligible for student finance and ITT bursaries or scholarships unless they have certain types of immigration permission and have been living in the UK for some time.For the 2023/24 academic year, the Department has extended ITT bursary and scholarship eligibility in languages and physics to all non-UK nationals, regardless of their eligibility for student finance. This means they are eligible for bursaries worth up to £27,000 tax free and scholarships worth up to £29,000 tax-free.

Schools: Admissions

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ban school admissions policies that require women to dress modestly.

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the national secular society report entitled how state school admissions policies enable coercive control in religious communities, published in February 2023, whether she has made an assessment of the implications for her policies of that report's findings on admissions requirements for state-funded faith schools.

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the impact of faith schools setting admissions criteria relating to families' private lives on those families.

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department issues to faith schools on the implications of the UK's human rights obligations under international law for their admissions policies.

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing admissions exemptions that allow faith schools to select pupils based on the religious beliefs and practices of parents.

Nick Gibb: Like all other mainstream state funded schools, schools designated with a religious character, commonly known as faith schools, must admit all children who apply, without reference to faith, where there are places available. Where they are oversubscribed, they may give priority for places to applicants on the basis of faith. No parent is required to provide information on their membership or practice of the faith when applying to a faith school, although they may not then be eligible for priority under any faith oversubscription criteria.The Department does not intend to remove faith schools’ ability to set faith-based oversubscription criteria. Faith-based oversubscription criteria provide a means to support parents to have their children educated in line with their religious and philosophical beliefs, where they wish to do so.The admission authority of a faith school is responsible for setting their admission arrangements and deciding whether or not to use faith-based oversubscription criteria.The Department issues the statutory School Admissions Code which applies to all mainstream state funded schools, including faith schools, and places requirements on admission authorities about their arrangements and what they may ask from parents as part of the admissions process. The Code also signposts other relevant laws which admission authorities must comply with, including the Human Rights Act 1998.In constructing any faith oversubscription criteria, a faith school’s admission authority must have regard to any guidance from the body or person representing the religion or religious denomination, to the extent that the guidance complies with the Code. They must also consult with the religious body when deciding how membership or practice of the faith is to be demonstrated. Ultimately, the admission authority must ensure its arrangements comply with the Code and other relevant legislation, including the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010.Anyone who is concerned that a school’s admission arrangements are unfair or unlawful is encouraged to refer an objection to the independent Schools Adjudicator, whose decision is binding and enforceable. The Government does not routinely make an assessment of the impact of individual faith schools’ admissions criteria. All legislation, including admissions law, must be compatible with equalities and human rights law.The Department has no current plans to introduce more specific requirements for faith school admissions beyond those already set out in law. The Department routinely considers reports and guidance from stakeholders and other bodies, such as the report issued by the National Secular Society. All such information helps to inform future policy development.

Teachers: Training

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to open a further round of applications for initial teacher training providers to be accredited to deliver courses from September 2024.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what weight is given to an initial teacher training provider's most recent Ofsted judgment when evaluating whether to approve an application to be re-accredited to deliver training from September 2024.

Nick Gibb: Following a comprehensive process over two rounds the Department has now concluded the accreditation process. The Department does not intend to run any further accreditation rounds before first delivery of the reformed initial teacher training (ITT) in 2024/25.The Department expects the next round of accreditation to take place in the 2025/26 academic year, with recruitment to ITT courses from September 2026, after the new quality requirements have come into effect. Details will be published on GOV.UK.The accreditation process was not designed to assess quality of current provision, but focused on assessing providers’ capacity to deliver high-quality reformed ITT from September 2024, in line with the new Quality Requirements developed following the ITT Market Review. These two processes are distinct, and, therefore, Ofsted inspection judgements were not considered as part of the accreditation process. The Department firmly believes that the ITT accreditation process was the best way of assessing ITT providers’ potential whilst ensuring it was fair and manageable for applicants, and the Department is confident in the robustness of our assessments. The Department assessed applications in combination with Ofsted, who brought considerable knowledge and expertise to the process.

Department for Education

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many in-person meetings the then-Secretary of State for Education held with external stakeholders (a) in total and (b) (i) with and (ii) without another Minister from the Department in attendance in the period between 15 September 2021 and 5 July 2022.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many in-person meetings she held with external stakeholders (a) in total and (b) (i) with the (A) Minister of State for Schools, (B) Minister of State for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education, (C) Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children, Families and Wellbeing and (D) Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the School System and Student Finance and (ii) without another Minister from her Department in attendance in the period between 25 October 2022 and 31 March 2023.

Nick Gibb: Since her appointment, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has regularly met with external stakeholders in person, both with and without her Ministers, to discuss a broad range of policy issues.Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the GOV.UK website as part of the Department’s transparency data: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dfe-ministers-quarterly-returns.The Department appreciates the work of external partners to build a world class education system, and the Secretary of State and her Ministers will continue to engage in constructive dialogue with a range of stakeholders.

Students: Cost of Living

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to publish a response to the report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Students on the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on students, published on 22 March 2023.

Robert Halfon: The government recognises the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen this year and that have impacted students.The department is discussing the additional cost of living pressures in our regular meetings with stakeholders, including the Office for Students (OfS), Universities UK and the higher education Mission Groups. We have also consulted with the National Association of Student Money Advisers to understand the ongoing situation in relation to increased requests from students for hardship awards from their universities.There is now £276 million of student premium funding available this academic year to support disadvantaged students who need additional help. The department works with the OfS to ensure universities support students in hardship using both hardship funds and drawing on the student premium.The department has discussed the additional cost of living pressures in regular meetings with stakeholders, including the OfS, Universities UK and the higher education Mission Groups. We have also consulted with the National Association of Student Money Advisers to understand the ongoing situation in relation to increased requests from students for hardship awards from their universities.The Office for National Statistics has twice surveyed students directly on the impact of cost of living pressures. The most recent report, published 24 February is available to view here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/educationandchildcare/bulletins/costoflivingandhighereducationstudentsengland/30januaryto13february2023.On 17 March, OfS published an insight brief to better understand the impact increasing living costs are having on students. The brief discusses data and research from OfS roundtable events, a poll commissioned by the OfS, and other student surveys to explore how the cost of living is affecting students and how universities and colleges are mitigating its impact.The department welcomes the continued efforts of the OfS and the higher education sector to look at what more can be done to support students in need of financial help.

Vocational Education: Qualifications

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase the uptake of higher technical qualifications.

Robert Halfon: The department is delivering reforms to increase the profile, prestige and uptake of higher technical education. Central to this is the introduction of Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs). Increasing uptake in HTQs is key to help people climb the ladder of opportunity and progress to more highly skilled jobs and careers.HTQs became available for teaching from September 2022, starting with Digital HTQs. There are over 70 providers able to deliver HTQs from September 2022, with the majority being further education colleges. 106 qualifications have now been approved as HTQs across Digital, Construction and Health and Science routes, with HTQs in the latter two routes available for teaching from September this year. HTQs across all occupational routes are due to be rolled out by academic year 2025/26 where relevant occupational standards are available.To support more people studying HTQs as they roll out, we are promoting HTQs as part of national government skills communications and engagement campaigns for young people, adults and employers, as well as working with partners such as UCAS and National Careers Service to improve the information and support available.We have also announced investments of around £70 million to date to support the growth of high quality higher technical education (HTE). This includes supporting providers to grow capacity through the HTE Growth Fund and Skills Injection Fund. We are also supporting the Open University to deliver validation services and support for up to 10 further education providers to give them the confidence and capability to deliver the courses local people want and develop the skills base local employers need.The department has extended student finance access for HTQs. From September 2023 learners studying HTQs part-time will be able to access maintenance loans, as they can with degrees. This will help learners fit study around work and other commitments.HTQs will be among the first courses eligible for modular funding when the Lifelong Loan Entitlement launches in academic year 2025/26, as announced on 7 March 2023, providing more flexible options for learning.

Turing Scheme

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to commence the tender process for the administration of the Turing Scheme after the existing contract with Capita ends in 2024.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria her Department plans to assess when evaluating bids to administer the Turing Scheme after the existing contract with Capita ends in 2024.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to fund the Turing Scheme beyond the 2024-25 academic year.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to include funding for inbound student mobility to the UK in future years of the Turing Scheme.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of reports that payments are potentially being made late to students participating in the Turing Scheme.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will amend the Turing Scheme so that higher education institutions can apply for multiple years of funding at once rather than on an annual basis.

Robert Halfon: The Turing Scheme, the government’s global programme to study and work abroad, is going into its third year with £110 million invested for this academic year. This year, the Scheme is unlocking opportunities for more than 38,000 participants to gain international experience. This includes more than 23,400 Higher Education placements, more than 9,900 Further Education and Vocational Education and Training placements, and more than 4,900 schools placements.The Scheme is opening up international opportunities to students who might not otherwise be able to access them. 51% of the international placements being made available across 160 countries all over the world have been earmarked for participants from disadvantaged backgrounds.The department will confirm the delivery approach for the fourth year of the Turing Scheme in the coming months. Dependent on the delivery approach, any assessment criteria for bids will be designed proportionately and appropriately.Funding for the 2025/26 academic year and beyond can only be agreed as part of future Spending Reviews.The Turing Scheme is an outward mobility scheme for UK participants and there are currently no plans to fund inbound mobility. The Turing Scheme prioritises opportunities for UK students to study and work abroad, and we expect other countries to make their own arrangements for their students. The UK continues to be an attractive destination for international degree students, with international student enrolments rising by 12% to 679,970 in the 2021/22 academic year.The Turing Scheme does not provide funding directly to participants. It is the responsibility of grant recipients, largely education providers, to make timely requests for payments in line with their planned placements and to disburse funding to their participants.Some organisations have experienced issues navigating the process for claiming Turing Scheme funds, including providing the correct evidence on projects, which has led to delays in payment being processed. The Turing Scheme delivery partner, Capita, has already taken steps to help organisations better understand the process. This includes video instructions, written guidance and one to one telephone support when requested. Departmental officials are also working with Capita to review how it can improve the overall customer experience while obtaining assurance that Turing Scheme funds are being appropriately spent, within the grant terms.All Turing Scheme applicants are required to apply on an annual basis. This is because UK government funding must be used within the period for which it has been allocated to keep in line with UK government spending requirements. The annual application window gives eligible organisations across all sectors, all over the country, the opportunity to access available funding and tailor their application for their cohort for the relevant academic year.

Free School Meals: Disability

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of updating the national guidance on Free School Meals to include reference to the duty to make reasonable adjustments for eligible disabled children who are unable to access meals due to dietary or sensory requirements.

Nick Gibb: The Education Act 1996 places a duty on maintained schools and academies to provide nutritious, free meals to pupils that meet the eligibility criteria, and are attending school during term time. These meals must meet the standards for school food as laid out in ‘The Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014’, which can be found here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/1603/contents/made.The Department expects schools to act reasonably in ensuring that their food provision accounts for medical, dietary, and cultural needs.It is important that the Department that the guidance on free school meals meets the needs of pupils. As such, this guidance is kept under review.

School Libraries

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of schools have a library.

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of schools had libraries in (a) Shropshire and (b) England in (i) 2010, (ii) 2015 and (iii) 2023.

Nick Gibb: The Department believes that all pupils deserve to be taught a curriculum that promotes the extensive reading of books and other texts, both in and out of school. School libraries complement public libraries in allowing pupils to do this. It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian. Many head teachers recognise the important role school libraries play in improving literacy and encouraging pupils to read for pleasure and to ensure that suitable library facilities are provided. School libraries can take many forms, with some schools preferring to make books a focus in other ways, including housing them within classrooms. Given the autonomy granted to schools on how to provide a library service to their pupils, the Department does not collect information on the number of school libraries.

Teachers: Pay

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had recent discussions with the National Education Union on offering teachers an above inflation pay rise.

Nick Gibb: The Government and the education trade unions, the Association of School and College Leaders, National Association of Head Teachers, NASUWT and the National Education Union (NEU), took part in a period of intensive talks between 17 March and 23 March 2023, when an in principle offer was made by the Government. This offer comprised a package of pay and non-pay related measures.The offer included an average consolidated pay increase over this year and next year that is over 10%, with 5.4% this year compounded by the 4.5% offered for next, as well as a non-consolidated additional £1,000 for this year. The pay offer was above the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast for inflation at the end of this calendar year, which is 2.9%, with inflation forecast to fall further in 2024. The Government also committed to increasing the starting salary for new teachers by 7.1% to £30,000.It is disappointing that the education trade unions have rejected this offer, which was fully funded. The issue of teacher pay will now revert to the independent pay review body, the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB), who will put forward its recommendation for what teachers’ pay for next year should be. It is hoped that the independent process will break the deadlock and lead to a resolution as soon as possible. As usual, it will not look at any changes to the pay award for this year, 2022/23.The Department will continue to engage regularly with teaching and leadership unions on policy developments as usual.NEU has also announced further strikes on 27 April and 2 May. These strikes will only cause further disruption for students and parents, at a crucial period in the school calendar when many students will be preparing for important exams which will affect their long-term prospects.

Relationships and Sex Education

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to issue new Relationships, Sex, Health and Education statutory guidance.

Wendy Morton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to launch a consultation on statutory guidance, external speakers and resources in relationships, health and sex education classes.

Nick Gibb: On 8 March, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced that the Department had brought forward the review of the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) statutory guidance. The review will cover the full scope of the statutory guidance, including the use of external speakers and resources, and will involve working closely with stakeholders and experts to draw on the best available evidence.On 31 March, the Department announced further details of the review, including the plan to set up an independent panel of experts to advise on what can be done to ensure that what is taught is appropriate by, for example, introducing age restrictions. Further details can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/review-of-relationships-sex-and-health-education-to-protect-children-to-conclude-by-end-of-year.The Department will undertake a public consultation on the amended guidance in the autumn.

School Libraries

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of how many and what proportion of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools have a school library.

Nick Gibb: The Department believes that all pupils deserve to be taught a knowledge rich curriculum that promotes the extensive reading of books and other texts, both in and out of school. School libraries complement public libraries in allowing pupils to do this.Given the autonomy which is granted to schools, the Department does not collect information on the number of school libraries.It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian. Many head teachers recognise the important role school libraries play in improving literacy and encouraging pupils to read for pleasure and ensure that suitable library facilities are provided. School libraries can take many forms, with some schools preferring to make books a focus in other ways, including housing them within classrooms.

Teachers: Standards

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve the standard of teaching in schools.

Nick Gibb: The quality of teaching is the most important in-school factor in improving outcomes for children, especially for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Department is transforming the training and support for new and existing teachers and aims to deliver 500,000 teacher training and development courses by the end of 2024.The Department has introduced improved quality requirements that all initial teacher training (ITT) courses must meet from September 2024. This is based on a review by an expert advisory group, and 179 providers have been successful following a rigorous accreditation process in 2022 designed to drive up the quality and consistency of teacher training. Together with the new Early Career Framework, these reforms will ensure that new teachers will now benefit from at least three years of evidence based training, across ITT and into their induction.The Department has also provided a renewed suite of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) for teachers and school leaders at all levels, from those who want to develop expertise in high quality teaching practice to those leading multiple schools across trusts. Since autumn 2021, eligible teachers and leaders have been able to access scholarships to undertake fully-funded NPQs.These measures will create a golden thread of teacher training running from ITT through to school leadership, rooting teacher and leader development in the best available evidence.The Department is also funding several subject specific curriculum programmes that help improve the quality of teaching and offer high quality Career Professional Development for schools. The Department funds a range of networks of curriculum hubs for subjects including maths, science, computing, English, languages, and music. Plans to expand the reach of maths hubs support were announced on 17 April 2023. Further details can be found on here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2023-04-17/hcws715.

Schools: Solihull

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding will be allocated to schools in Solihull to upgrade buildings and boost school places.

Nick Gibb: Well maintained, safe school buildings are a priority for the Department. Solihull Local Authority has been provisionally allocated a school condition allocation of £1,830,392 for the 2023/24 financial year to spend maintaining and improving its school buildings.Large multi-academy trusts and voluntary-aided school groups with schools in Solihull will also have been allocated a school condition allocation to spend on their school buildings. Smaller and single academy trusts have been invited to bid into the condition improvement fund, with outcomes expected in May 2023. Schools in Solihull Local Authority have also been provisionally allocated £989,127 in devolved formula capital to spend on their own capital priorities. Two schools in Solihull Local Authority, Arden and Our Lady of Compassion Catholic Primary School, have been announced for inclusion for the School Rebuilding Programme, which will see transformational rebuilds or significant refurbishments at these schools.The Department provides capital funding through the Basic Need grant to support Local Authorities provide school places, based on their own pupil forecasts and school capacity data. They can use this funding to provide places in new schools or through expansions of existing schools, and can work with any school in their local area, including academies and free schools. Solihull will receive just over £7.8 million for places needed for 2026. This takes Solihull’s total funding allocated between 2011 and 2026 to just over £41.2 million.Solihull has also been allocated a total of just under £6.3 million through High Needs Provision Capital Allocations (HNPCA) for financial years 2022/23 and 2023/24. This funding will help the Local Authority to create new places and improve existing provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities or who require alternative provision. Prior to that, the Local Authority received just under £1.1 million through its 2021/22 HNPCA funding announced in April 2021. It is for the Local Authority to determine how to best use their HNPCA funding to address their local priorities, and they can work with any school in their area to do so.

Teachers: Houghton and Sunderland South

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Houghton and Sunderland South constituency do not have qualified teacher status.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers there are in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in England without qualified teacher status.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers in schools in England do not have qualified teacher status, broken down by (a) local authority and (b) Parliamentary constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in the Derby North constituency do not have qualified teacher status.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Stroud constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Warrington South constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Truro and Falmouth constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Bury North constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Gedling constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Hastings and Rye constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Watford constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Milton Keynes South constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Leigh constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Hartlepool constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Dover constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Ipswich constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in York Outer constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Peterborough constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Hendon constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Cities of London and Westminster constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Norwich North constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in South Swindon constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Chingford and Woodford Green constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Bishop Auckland constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Penistone and Stocksbridge constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Burnley constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Erewash constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Shipley constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Bassetlaw constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Southampton Itchen constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Thurrock constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Colchester constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Finchley and Golders Green constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Sedgefield constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Birmingham Northfield constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Stevenage constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Filton and Bradley Stoke constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Darlington constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Wolverhampton North East constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Camborne and Redruth constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Wycombe constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Chipping Barnet constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Kensington constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Northampton North constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Milton Keynes North constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Keighley constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in High Peak constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Gloucester constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Bournemouth East constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Scunthorpe constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Lincoln constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Colne Valley constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Worcester constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Basingstoke constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Loughborough constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Telford constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Croydon South constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Gravesham constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in North Swindon constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Rother Valley constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Bolsover constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Stoke-on-Trent North constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Carlisle constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Bolton North East constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Waveney constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in South Thanet constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Heywood and Middleton constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Northampton South constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Bournemouth West constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Welwyn Hatfield constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Mansfield constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Hyndburn constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Rossendale and Darwen constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Chelsea and Fulham constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Blackpool South constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Broxtowe constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Harrow East constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Great Grimsby constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Crawley constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in North West Leicestershire constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Scarborough and Whitby constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Altrincham and Sale West constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Corby constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Barrow and Furness constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools do not have qualified teacher status in Stoke-on-Trent Central constituency.

Nick Gibb: Information on the school workforce in England is published in the annual ‘School Workforce in England’ national statistics release, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.The number of teachers without qualified teacher status in all state funded schools in England, including a breakdown by primary and secondary, and by local authority, is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/29d83b82-2aba-44c7-bb82-08db371944c7.Data relating to schools in individual constituencies can be found in the ‘teacher and support staff numbers by school’ file, within the additional supporting files section, available at: https://content.explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/api/releases/0728fb07-f014-492c-aac9-fd11bb441601/files/2dfcc772-c410-46ac-cb9d-08da713e9200.There are 24,000 more teachers now than in 2010. The quality of teaching is the most important in school factor in improving outcomes for children, especially for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Evidence is clear that high quality professional development can lead to improved pupil attainment.The Department has invested in transforming training for teachers and head teachers. Every teacher and head teacher now has access to high quality, evidence based training and professional development at every stage of their career, starting with initial teacher training (ITT).By 2024, a reformed ITT provider market will be delivering quality assured training leading to qualified teacher status (QTS) that places a greater emphasis than ever before on embedding structured practice into courses, ensuring trainees are ready to thrive in the classroom.A new system of higher quality training provider partnerships will be supported by £36 million to introduce new Quality Requirements, including better training for mentors and the delivery of new, cutting edge, intensive training, and practice activity. Every teaching school hub will be involved in ITT to ensure that training places are available across the country.QTS is considered desirable for teachers in most schools in England. In some schools, including academies, free schools, and independent schools, QTS is not a legal requirement. Academies have a fundamental freedom to employ talented people who do not necessarily have QTS.Most teachers in all schools, including academies, have QTS and have undertaken initial teacher training. In the 2021/22 academic year, the latest data available, 14,771 teachers (headcount) did not have qualified teacher status, equivalent to 2.9% of teachers.

Apprentices: Degrees

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase the uptake of degree apprenticeships.

Robert Halfon: There were over 43,000 starts at levels 6 and 7 in the 2021/22 academic year, which is an increase of 10.3% on the previous year.The department wants to see continued growth year-on-year in degree-level apprenticeships, and want to ensure that these opportunities are accessible to young people from all backgrounds. To support this, over the next two years the department is making up to £40 million available to higher education providers through the Strategic Priorities Grant, to grow their degree apprenticeship provision and form new employer partnerships, on top of the department’s £8 million investment in 2022/23.We are also promoting apprenticeships in schools and further education colleges to students of all backgrounds through our Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme. The department has published the Higher and Degree apprenticeship vacancy listing, which highlights over 350 vacancies across the country that are available for young people to apply for in 2023 and 2024. This listing is available here: https://amazingapprenticeships.com/app/uploads/2022/11/Higher-Degree-Listing-FEB-2023.pdf.In addition, the department is working with UCAS on the expansion of their apprenticeships service. From this autumn, young people will see more personalised options on UCAS, including apprenticeships. This will help put technical and vocational education on an equal footing with traditional academic routes.Alongside this, the department continues to work on a programme of ‘simplification’, exploring ways we can remove unnecessary bureaucracy, complexity, and barriers to engagement for apprentices, employers, and providers.

Languages: GCE A-level and GCSE

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students have taken (a) GCSE and (b) A Level Romanian in each of last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not hold the requested information as Romanian is not a regulated qualification that is taught to pupils at either GCSE or A level.

Teachers: Work Experience

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the article by the Independent Game Developers’ Association entitled TIGA Launches Proposal for an Industrial Secondment Programme, published on 25 January 2023, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of accepting the recommendation on introducing an industrial secondment scheme for video games lecturers.

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an industrial secondment scheme for video games lecturers.

Robert Halfon: The government is committed to supporting the growth of the UK’s video games sector which brings economic, cultural and social benefits across the UK.Through the Strategic Priorities Grant, the department is providing funding on an annual basis to support teaching and students in higher education, including expensive to deliver subjects, such as computer game and computer game design degrees, in addition to science and engineering more widely. The department is investing an additional £750 million over the three-year period from 2022/23 to 2024/25 to support high quality teaching and facilities, including in science and engineering. This includes £450 million in capital funding to invest in teaching and learning facilities.We are also increasing the level of overall investment in the further education (FE) and skills sector, worth £3.8 billion over the course of this parliament.It is important that lecturers enhance their teaching skills and keep their practical knowledge of game development current. The Skills for Jobs White Paper introduces a ‘Workforce Industry Exchange’ policy commitment to ensure that FE teachers have the relevant industry experience to make sure that young people are being taught the skills that employers need. This will help support the sector by encouraging collaboration with industry staff teaching FE provision and upskilling existing teachers with relevant industry skills. This will allow staff to continuously develop their professionalism and insight and ensure that FE is able to adapt to the needs of a changing economy.To facilitate this we are working with business leaders to develop resources supporting knowledge exchange and detailing how employers can get involved in FE learning. We are keen to create a pipeline of talented individuals from industry who can teach the next generation in FE and to support industry to upskill existing teachers in the latest practices and innovations in their sector.

Free School Meals: Finance

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to provide additional funding (a) for increased (i) food and (ii) labour costs for school meal caterers and (b) to increase (A) universal infant free school meal and (B) free school meal funding in line with inflation.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of food inflation on the ability of school meal caterers to deliver (a) hot, (b) freshly-prepared and (c) nutritionally-balanced meals.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that school caterers receive the full amount allocated for school meals.

Nick Gibb: The Department recognises the cost pressures that some schools and suppliers may be facing. The Department is holding regular meetings with other Government Departments and with food industry representatives, covering a variety of issues including public sector food supplies.Following the 2022 Autumn Statement, schools will receive an additional £2 billion in each of the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. The core schools’ budget, which covers schools’ day-to-day running costs, including schools’ energy bills and the costs of providing income-related free school meals (FSM), has risen from £49.8 billion in 2021/22 to £53.8 billion in 2022/23 and will continue to rise to £57.3 billion in 2023/24 and £58.8 billion in 2024/25. By 2024/25, funding per pupil will have risen to its highest ever level in real terms. These increases provide support to schools to deal with the impact of inflation on their budgets.The Department is continuing to review funding to ensure that schools continue to be able to provide healthy and nutritious meals in schools. The funding for the FSM factor is increasing by 2.4% for 2023/24, in line with the latest available Gross Domestic Product deflator forecast when the National Funding Formula was published in July 2022.Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) are funded through a direct grant to schools. In June 2022, the Government announced an increase to the per pupil meal rate in UIFSM to £2.41. This was backdated, recognising the cost pressures schools and some suppliers may be experiencing.The standards for school food are set out in the requirements for school food regulations 2014 and are designed to ensure that schools provide children with healthy food and drink options, and to make sure that children get the energy and nutrition they need throughout the school day. Schools also have flexibility under the Standards to substitute food and regularly update and change menus. They may make changes if ingredients or meals are not readily available.Schools are responsible for the provision of school meals and most contract with private sector caterers to manage this on their behalf. It is for schools and caterers to decide what is an appropriate portion and to balance the food served across the school week. Guidance to accompany the School Food Standards includes guidance on portion sizes and food groups.

Supply Teachers: Houghton and Sunderland South

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of teaching were delivered by supply teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Houghton and Sunderland South constituency in the last full year for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of teaching were delivered by supply teachers in the last academic year for which data is available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of teaching were delivered by supply teachers, broken down by (a) local authority and (b) Parliamentary constituency, in the last academic year for which data is available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of teaching were delivered by supply teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Derby North constituency in the last 12 months for which data are available.

Nick Gibb: The information requested on the hours of teaching delivered by supply teachers is not held by the Department.Information on the state funded school workforce in England, including the hours spent teaching subjects in a typical week in secondary schools, is collected as part of the annual School Workforce Census each November, and published in the annual ‘School Workforce in England’ national statistics release, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england. Information on subjects taught is only collected from a sample of secondary schools and the data does not identify whether the teacher was a supply teacher. Information on the hours spent teaching subjects is not collected from primary schools.

Teachers: Houghton and Sunderland South

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) sciences, and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools in Houghton and Sunderland South constituency by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification, in the last full year for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) maths, (b) English, (c) sciences, (d) modern foreign languages were taught by teachers without a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in each of the last five academic years.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of maths were taught last academic year by teachers without a relevant A-level or higher level qualification broken down by (a) local authority and (b) Parliamentary constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of English were taught in secondary schools in the last academic year by teachers without a relevant A-level or higher level qualification, broken down by (a) local authority and (b) Parliamentary constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of sciences were taught in secondary schools last academic year by teachers without a relevant A-level or higher level qualification, broken down by (a) local authority and (b) Parliamentary constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools in the last academic year by teachers without a relevant A-level or higher qualification, broken down by (a) local authority and (b) Parliamentary constituency.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) sciences, and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in Derby North constituency in the last 12 months for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) sciences, and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in Stroud constituency in the last 12 months for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) sciences, and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in Warrington South constituency in the last 12 months for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) sciences, and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in Truro and Falmouth constituency in the last 12 months for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) sciences, and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in Bury North constituency in the last 12 months for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) sciences, and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in Gedling constituency in the last 12 months for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) sciences, and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in Hastings and Rye constituency in the last 12 months for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) sciences, and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in Watford constituency in the last 12 months for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) sciences, and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in Milton Keynes South constituency in the last 12 months for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) sciences, and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in Stoke-on-Trent Central constituency in the last 12 months for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) sciences, and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in Leigh constituency in the last 12 months for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) sciences, and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in Hartlepool constituency in the last 12 months for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) sciences, and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in Dover constituency in the last 12 months for which data are available.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many hours of (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) sciences, and (d) modern foreign languages were taught in secondary schools by teachers who had neither a relevant A-level or higher level qualification in Ipswich constituency in the last 12 months for which data are available.

Nick Gibb: Information on the school workforce in England, including subjects taught in state funded secondary schools, is collected as part of the annual School Workforce Census each November. Information is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.The total number of hours taught for each subject are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/38de2951-c92c-46e4-39fb-08db371965b6.The proportion of those hours that were taught by teachers without a relevant A level or higher level qualification are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/ee831a35-e304-4821-bb6a-08db371944c7.Timetabled teaching is reported for a typical week in November, as determined by the school. It does not cover an entire year of teaching. If there are variations in timetabling across the year, this is not covered in the data available to the Department. To reduce the burden during the COVID-19 pandemic, schools and Local Authorities were not required to provide information on teacher qualifications in the 2020 census.Data on the subject taught is only collected from secondary schools that use electronic timetabling software that can produce data in the format required. Data is then weighted to provide national totals. Breakdowns by Local Authority and parliamentary constituency are, therefore, not available.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Energy: Prices

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of an energy social tariff; and if he will run a pilot.

Amanda Solloway: Officials in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero are working closely with other Government Departments to assess options, including social tariffs, for a new approach to consumer protection from 2024. The Government intends to consult on options in summer 2023 that better targets support for those most in need.

Energy Intensive Industries: Carbon Emissions

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Powering up Britain report, published on 30 March 2023, what the total amount of funding is that has been allocated to decarbonising energy-intensive industries.

Graham Stuart: The Government is providing more than £2 billion of funding this decade to decarbonise energy-intensive industries, through multiple schemes supporting carbon capture, hydrogen, and other industrial decarbonisation technologies. In the ‘Powering Up Britain’ plan, the Government announced an extension to the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF), increasing funding available through that scheme to £500m.

Warm Home Discount Scheme: Disability

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment the Government has made of the adequacy for people with disabilities who require extra property space of the property size guidelines used to administer the Warm Homes Discount.

Amanda Solloway: The Government expanded the Warm Home Discount scheme to support more low-income and vulnerable households. The Government published impact assessments when consulting and publishing the Government’s response.To be eligible for a rebate under Core Group 2, a household must be in receipt of a qualifying means-tested benefit and living in a property which we have estimated to have relatively high heating costs. Broadly speaking, larger properties, as well as older and more detached properties, have higher heating costs and therefore are more likely to be eligible for a rebate.These changes do not apply in Scotland, where customers apply for a Broader Group rebate through their energy suppliers, who can set their own eligibility criteria.

National Grid

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of grid capacity to meet the demand for projects that hold contracts for transmission entry capacity.

Andrew Bowie: Electricity network companies are regulated to build and operate the grid to meet consumer demand by Ofgem, the independent energy regulator. Recognising the scale of the challenge to ensure grid capacity meets demand, government has already taken action to improve strategic planning and accelerate consenting and regulatory approvals. Nick Winser was appointed as the Electricity Networks Commissioner in July 2022 to advise the Government on how to further reduce the development timeline for new transmission network infrastructure. The Commissioner will deliver his recommendations in June, and the Government will respond with an action plan during 2023.

National Grid

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department is taking steps to help increase grid connectivity for (a) renewable energy generation and (b) battery energy storage.

Andrew Bowie: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Ynys Môn on 17 April 2023 to Question 176768. The Government works with Ofgem and network companies to accelerate connections by releasing network capacity and improving the connections process. As part of this work, the Electricity System Operator is seeking expressions of interest, by 30 April 2023, from developers who are willing and able to connect earlier than their allocated connection date. The Government will publish a Connections Action Plan in the summer, which will articulate actions by government, Ofgem and network companies to accelerate network connections, including for renewable energy and battery storage projects.

Electricity Generation

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much has been paid in in constraint payments each year since 2015.

Andrew Bowie: National Grid ESO compares the cost of constraint payments and of building new network to ensure efficient investment decisions are made. National Grid ESO publishes constraint payments in its ‘Monthly Balancing Services Summary’ available at https://data.nationalgrideso.com/balancing/mbss.

Carbon Capture and Storage

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to fund carbon capture and storage projects from (a) tax revenue, (b) levies, (c) charges on energy customers and (d) other sources.

Graham Stuart: The £20bn announced in the 15 March Budget will come from levy and Exchequer sources. The precise mix will be confirmed once negotiations are complete. The Government expects it to encourage billions of pounds of additional private capital as private partners also commit to the programme, creating jobs and bringing investment to the UK's industrial heartlands.

Carbon Capture and Storage

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Written Statement of 30 March 2023, HCWS690 on Powering up Britain, how the carbon capture and storage outlined in that Statement will be funded.

Graham Stuart: The £20bn announced will come from levy and exchequer sources. The Government expects it to encourage billions of pounds of additional private capital as private partners also commit to the programme, creating jobs and bringing investment to the UK's industrial heartlands.

Hydrogen: Heating

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, by what process the Government plans to decide on whether to allow blending of up to 20 per cent hydrogen by volume into gas distribution networks; and what criteria will inform that decision.

Graham Stuart: The Government is planning to take a strategic policy decision in 2023 on whether to seek to enable the blending of hydrogen in the existing gas distribution network. Further details will be provided this year including through the Government’s response to its consultation on hydrogen transport and storage infrastructure, which the Government aims to publish in Q2 2023.

Energy: Conservation

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he is taking steps to encourage (a) shops and (b) other businesses to reduce their energy consumption.

Graham Stuart: The Government recently published Powering Up Britain, detailing our plans to encourage businesses to reduce their energy demand. We already have building minimum energy efficiency standards and consulted on strengthening them. Our Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme requires large businesses to undertake energy audits and encourages improvements. There are also incentives to reduce use. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides grants to small businesses, and we are offering industry £500m for energy efficiency and low carbon technologies. We plan to launch a digital energy advice service to provide smaller businesses impartial energy efficiency advice and are piloting an audit and grant scheme.

Methane: Pollution Control

Sir Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will publish a plan for how the UK will meet the Global Methane Pledge launched at COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021.

Graham Stuart: The UK has adopted early and ambitious measures to tackle methane emissions. Between 1990 and 2020, UK methane emissions dropped by 62%, more than any other OECD country. The Government recognises the urgency to do more, including to meet the Global Methane Pledge as a global target, and is pursuing efforts to secure further emission reductions in line with the Net Zero Strategy, Net Zero Growth Plan, and Carbon budgets. The Government does not have plans to produce a separate methane focused plan.

Private Rented Housing: Energy

Sir Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when the Government plans to publish its response to the consultation on improving the energy performance of privately rented homes that closed in January 2021.

Graham Stuart: The consultation on improving the energy performance of privately rented homes closed on 8th January 2021. The Government is continuing to refine the policy design to ensure the costs and circumstances relating to energy efficiency improvements are fair and proportionate for landlords and tenants. The Government will publish a summary of responses by the end of this year.

Renewable Energy: Grants

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what plans he has to make new green energy grants available to small and medium-sized enterprises.

Graham Stuart: The Government recently published the Powering Up Britain plans that detail how we are encouraging businesses to reduce their energy demand. The Government plans to launch a digital energy advice service for small businesses to provide impartial, trusted advice on improving non-domestic energy efficiency. The Government will also be piloting a new audit and grant scheme this year. Existing initiatives include exemptions on business rates for green technology, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme providing small businesses grants, and offering industry £500m for energy efficiency and low carbon technologies.

Hydroelectric Power

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the use of existing weirs to generate renewable energy.

Graham Stuart: Hydropower accounts for approximately 2% of total electricity generation in the UK. Most current deployment is in a small run of river projects which tend to be relatively expensive. Studies in Scotland, England and Wales indicate that there is a maximum remaining technical potential of around 1.5GW for small-scale hydro, including existing weirs. Economic and environmental constraints mean that in practice the viable remaining resource is less than 1GW, which represents less than 1% of total generation capacity, so is not a significant contributor to the Government's future generation plans

Oil: Alaska

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made representations on the potential impact on global net-zero commitments of the Willow Project in Alaska to his American counterpart.

Graham Stuart: My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State is in regular discussion with the US Government on a range of energy and climate change issues, including the importance of accelerating the global clean energy transition. While he has discussed the Willow Project in Alaska with the US Government, decisions on it are for the US authorities alone. The UK and US are committed to reaching net zero by 2050 and on 17 April, G7 nations underlined mutual global commitments ‘to accelerate the phase-out of unabated fossil fuels so as to achieve net zero in energy systems by 2050 at the latest in line with the trajectories required to limit global average temperatures to 1.5°C above preindustrial levels’.

Energy Performance Certificates

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the policy paper entitled Heat and buildings strategy, published on 19 October 2021, CP 388, how her Department will assess whether it is (a) cost-effective, (b) practical and (c) affordable for homes to meet energy performance certificate band C by 2035.

Graham Stuart: The Government’s 2017 Clean Growth Strategy set out our aspiration that as many homes as possible are improved to EPC Band C by 2035, where practical, cost-effective and affordable. The definitions of “practical”, “cost-effective” and “affordable” will vary depending on the context. Defining these too prescriptively could lead to undesirable outcomes as such definitions may not result in least cost decarbonisation. As a result, the Department does not have a universal definition of “practical”, “cost-effective” or “affordable”.

Housing: Energy

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the policy paper entitled Heat and buildings strategy, published on 19 October 2021, CP 388, whether her Department has made a recent estimate of the number of homes for which it would not be (a) cost-effective, (b) practical and (c) affordable to meet energy performance certificate band C by 2035.

Graham Stuart: There is no 'one-size fits all' approach to improving the UK's housing stock and whether it is practical, cost-effective and affordable for an individual home to reach EPC C will depend on the context; therefore, no estimate has been made.

Housing: Energy

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has set a target by which all low-income homes will meet energy performance certificate band C.

Graham Stuart: In England, the Government has set a fuel poverty target to ensure that as many fuel poor homes as is reasonably practicable achieve a minimum fuel poverty energy efficiency rating of Band C by 2030. The fuel poverty energy efficiency rating contains an uplift to the energy performance certificate rating where qualifying households’ costs are reduced through the Warm Home Discount rebate.

Housing: Energy

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has set an annual target for the proportion of low-income homes meeting energy performance certificate band C in each year between 2022-23 and 2034-35.

Graham Stuart: In England, the Government’s target is to ‘ensure that as many fuel poor households as is reasonably practicable achieve a minimum energy efficiency rating of a Band C by 2030’. The Government has an interim milestone for as many fuel poor homes as is reasonably practicable to reach Band D by 2025. The Government set an ambition for all homes to reach EPC band C by 2035 where practical, cost-effective and affordable, in line with the Government's Net Zero target.

Housing: Energy

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has set an annual target for the proportion of homes meeting energy performance certificate band C in each year between 2022-23 and 2034-35.

Graham Stuart: The Government has set an ambition for all homes to reach EPC band C by 2035 where practical, cost-effective and affordable, in line with the Government's Net Zero target. Good progress has been made with 47% of homes in England in 2021 EPC level C, up from 14% in 2010. The Government is investing £6.6 billion over this Parliament on clean heat and improving energy efficiency in buildings, reducing our reliance on fossil fuel heating. In addition, £6 billion of new Government funding will be made available from 2025 to 2028. This provides long-term funding certainty, supporting the growth of supply chains, and ensuring the Government can scale up its delivery over time.

Energy: Business

Jo Gideon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure energy companies allow business customers who agreed energy contracts in 2022 to renegotiate those contracts to reflect the lower wholesale prices now available.

Amanda Solloway: The Government has implemented the Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS) to take effect until April 2024. Businesses fixed into more costly long-term contracts are more likely to receive EBDS support due to how the baseline discount is calculated. Contract negotiations are ultimately a matter for suppliers and their customers, but the Government continues to work with Ofgem and energy suppliers to ensure they are doing all they can to support their customers.

National Grid: Rural Areas

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to improve the national grid network in rural areas.

Andrew Bowie: Ofgem regulate investment by network companies in improving the electricity grid through the price control process. The Government welcomes Ofgem’s work to create a price control that will ready the grid for changes to electricity demand and supply needed for a secure, net zero system, including in rural areas. In the current electricity distribution network price control, they have set baseline funding at £22.2bn, including £3.1bn proposed for upgrades, which will improve the network in rural areas and support the expected uptake in electric vehicles, heat pumps and the connection of more local, low carbon generation.

Electricity: Standing Charges

Lee Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of reforming the system of electricity standing charges.

Amanda Solloway: Standing charges are capped under the price cap, set by Ofgem, and ensure millions of households pay a fair price for their energy. The setting of the standing charge is a commercial matter for individual suppliers. The standing charge reflects the on-going costs that fall on a supplier to provide and maintain a live supply to a customer.

Nuclear Reactors

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing companies that meet safety and design criteria for small modular reactors to build those without entering the Great British Nuclear competition for the design of small modular reactors.

Andrew Bowie: GBN is expected to work with the nuclear industry to help achieve our stated ambitions for the sector, including through de-risking early development. The first priority for GBN is to launch a competitive process to select the best SMR technologies. This will commence in April with market engagement as the first phase. The second phase – the down-selection process - will be launched in the summer, with an ambition to assess and decide on the leading technologies by autumn. This is expected to attract the best designs from both domestic and international vendors.

Energy: Meters

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether it is his Department's policy to end the prepayment meter premium (a) from July 2023 and (b) from April 2024.

Amanda Solloway: From 1 July, the Government will use the Energy Price Guarantee to eliminate the premium paid by households on prepayment meters (PPMs), which is worth around £45 per year. The Government has asked Ofgem to report by the autumn on options to permanently remove the PPM differential, for when the EPG ends on 31 March 2024.

Energy Charter Treaty

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an estimate of the money provided to fossil fuel companies as a result of the Energy Charter Treaty.

Graham Stuart: Data relating to Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) cases, including under the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), can be found on the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) website. The UK has not faced a successful ISDS claim, including under the ECT. The UK Government does not routinely gather data relating to Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) cases, where it is not a party to such disputes.

Energy Company Obligation

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the ECO4 scheme to 2028.

Graham Stuart: ECO4 is the current iteration of the Energy Company Obligation scheme which began in April 2022 and is scheduled to run until March 2026. Last autumn, the Government announced a new national ambition to reduce the UK’s final energy consumption from buildings and industry by 15% by 2030 against 2021 levels. The Government has also announced £6 billion of additional funding for energy efficiency from 2025-2028. The Government will implement the most suitable domestic energy efficiency policies to meet our net zero and fuel poverty commitments.

Energy Company Obligation

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of inflation on the effectiveness of the ECO4 scheme.

Graham Stuart: The modelling used to set ECO4 targets was based on estimated costs in 2021 prices, with an allowance for general inflation over time. Officials are working with analysts and stakeholders to determine current installation costs and if the assumptions being used for the scheme require review.

Energy Company Obligation

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential benefits of increasing the amount that can be claimed through the ECO4 scheme to match that of the Great British Insulation scheme.

Graham Stuart: Amounts are not claimed through either scheme as they are not grant schemes. Instead, they obligate energy suppliers to deliver energy efficiency measures to meet a legislative target based on annual bills savings. The ECO4 scheme is worth £4 billion over four years while the Great British Insulation Scheme is worth £1billion over three years. ECO4 delivers to those on the lowest incomes and the most vulnerable. To complement this, the GB Insulation Scheme will deliver to a wider group of households, who would otherwise be ineligible for support under existing government energy efficiency schemes, as well as the most vulnerable.

Energy Bills Rebate: Travellers

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure that Gypsy and Traveller households can access (a) Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding and (b) the Alternative Fuels Payment.

Amanda Solloway: In order to protect public funds against potentially fraudulent activity, the Government require applicants to show proof of address, such as a tenancy agreement or a utility bill. The Government understands that some Gypsy and Traveller households may not be able provide this evidence, which means they won’t currently be able to receive the EBSS AF or the AFP AF. However, the Government is keen to support these households and officials are working to establish whether there is a robust method for them to provide proof of eligibility, whilst protecting public funds, so they can receive support.

Hydrogen

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much hydrogen is produced in the UK each year by type; and what is the (a) CO2 footprint and (b) total tonnes of CO2 generated by the production of that Hydrogen in each year.

Graham Stuart: Current UK hydrogen production is mostly high carbon ‘grey’ hydrogen, including that produced as a by-product of another industrial process, with an estimated annual production of 21TWh. In these cases, emissions data held by Government is based on overall site emissions, so it is not possible to estimate the direct contribution of hydrogen production. Government is supporting industrial decarbonisation and new low carbon hydrogen production as part of the Net Zero Growth Plan, with around 4-5MW of electrolytic hydrogen already in operation. The UK’s Low Carbon Hydrogen Standard will ensure any production supported by Government meets strict emission thresholds.

Biofuels: National Grid

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department is taking steps to reduce the curtailment restriction on new Bio Mass energy installations wishing to connect to the national grid.

Andrew Bowie: The Government is working with Ofgem and the network companies to release network capacity and improve the connection process, which should bring forward unrestricted connections for electricity generators, including for biomass. However, connection agreements with curtailment can provide benefits by allowing generators to connect sooner, while the network is being upgraded to facilitate an unrestricted connection.

Energy: Prices

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress he has made on considering options for a social tariff as part of wider retail energy market reforms; and whether he has plans for consultation on the options.

Graham Stuart: The Autumn Statement set out a commitment to work with consumer groups and industry to consider the best approach to consumer protection from April 2024, including options such as social tariffs, as part of wider retail market reforms. Officials are considering the options and proactively discussing these with stakeholders. As set out in the Energy Security Plan, the Government intends to consult in Summer 2023 on options for a new approach to consumer protection in the energy markets from April 2024 onwards.

Electric vehicles and Heat pumps

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department are taking to encourage consumers to use (a) electric vehicle charging points and (b) heat pumps at off-peak hours.

Graham Stuart: The Government is facilitating flexibility from technologies such as smart charging of electric vehicles and flexible heating systems by delivering the Government’s Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan. The Electric Vehicle Smart Charge Point Regulations 2021 require that domestic and workplace charge points have smart functionality. The Government is also introducing a smart mandate which will require electric heating appliances with the greatest flexibility potential, including heat pumps, to have smart functionality. These measures will ensure consumers are able to use their charge points and heat pumps in a smart and flexible way, should they choose to.

Energy Supply

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of working with (a) energy network companies and (b) other relevant stakeholders to find solutions to connection queues at the distribution level.

Andrew Bowie: The Government is working with Ofgem, electricity network companies and connection stakeholders to release network capacity and improve the network connection process to reduce connection timescales. This includes participating in the Energy Network Association Strategic Connections Group, which is addressing distribution network connection issues, including connection queues.

Energy Supply

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to reduce electricity network capacity constraints at the distribution and transmission level.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has had recent discussions with network operators on preparing for potential changes in network capacity arising from the electrification of the UK energy system.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that investment in the energy grid infrastructure will help to support its net zero targets.

Andrew Bowie: The electrification of transport, heating and other sectors, to improve energy security and meet net zero, will increase demand on the electricity network. Government is committed to transforming the electricity network to meet this demand, as set out, jointly with Ofgem, in the Electricity Networks Strategic Framework.The amount network operators can invest is regulated by Ofgem. In its current distribution network price control, Ofgem has allowed £3.1bn for distribution network upgrades to support the uptake of low-carbon technologies. Ofgem has also set out approximately £20bn worth of transmission network projects to be accelerated.

Nuclear Reactors

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many designs for small modular reactors have been submitted for Generic Design Assessment to the Office of Nuclear Regulation; and if he will list the (a) date of submission, (b) stage of assessment process and (c) anticipated programme for each to get to design approval.

Andrew Bowie: In April 2022, the nuclear regulators began a Generic Design Assessment (GDA) looking at the safety, security, and environmental impact of the Rolls-Royce SMR Ltd reactor design, which is the first Small Modular Reactor design to be assessed in the UK. The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) publishes and maintains information on current and completed Generic Design Assessments on their website, which can be found at the following link: https://www.onr.org.uk/new-reactors/assessment.htm.

Fuel Oil: Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how energy assistance for oil-using households in Northern Ireland will be delivered between April and June.

Amanda Solloway: The Government has provided the Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP) to all Northern Ireland households in recognition of the prevalence of alternative fuel usage, such as heating oil, in Northern Ireland. The AFP scheme is intended to provide similar support as the Energy Price Guarantee, which reduces the amount households pay for gas or electricity. The £200 payment, across the UK, was based on an average year’s use of heating oil, from October 2022. The Government is committed to continued monitoring of prices over the coming months and will consider further intervention if required to protect UK households from extraordinary fuel prices.

Alternative Fuel Payments: Travellers

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent progress his Department has made on providing Gypsy and Traveller communities living on permanent Gypsy and Traveller sites with Alternative Fuel Payment support.

Amanda Solloway: The Government is keen to support these households and to ensure that they can receive the Alternative Fuel Payment via the Alternative Fund where eligible. The Government is currently working to find an acceptable method for these households to provide proof of eligibility, whilst protecting public funds, so they can claim the AFP AF support.

Boiler Upgrade Scheme

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an estimate of how many (a) landlords and (b) owner-occupiers will apply for the the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

Graham Stuart: The Boiler Upgrade Scheme has an approved budget of £450 million over three years (2022/23 to 2024/25), supporting up to 30,000 low carbon heat installations per year. Vouchers will be issued on a first come first served basis – to properties owned by both landlords and owner occupiers - who meet the eligibility requirements, until the budget cap for the financial year is reached.

Hydrogen

Richard Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the benefits of support for green hydrogen production.

Graham Stuart: Low carbon hydrogen will be a source of clean energy which the Government can produce domestically using British skills, experience and natural resources. The British Energy Security Strategy sets out the Government's ambition for 10GW of hydrogen by 2030, of which at least half will be electrolytic, and to have up to 1GW of electrolytic hydrogen in construction or operation by 2025. Government analysis suggests that by 2030 the hydrogen sector could support over 12,000 jobs, unlocking over £11 billion in private investment.

Hydrogen: Scotland

Richard Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support the application of green hydrogen in Scotland.

Richard Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to support the development of green hydrogen in Scotland.

Graham Stuart: The British Energy Security Strategy set out the Government's ambition to support up to 1GW of electrolytic hydrogen to be in construction or operational by 2025 across the UK. The first hydrogen allocation round is underway and the Government announced a shortlist of 20 electrolytic hydrogen projects in March 2023, including five projects based in Scotland, to enter the next phase of due diligence and negotiations. A second hydrogen allocation round is due to be launched before the end of 2023. In addition, four Scottish projects were also awarded funding through Strands 1 & 2 of the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund.

Renewable Energy

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to incentivise investment in renewable electricity.

Graham Stuart: Instruments like the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme make the UK an attractive place to invest in green industries. We estimate that the UK encouraged £50 billion of new investment in low carbon sectors across 2021 and 2022 alone. CfD Allocation Rounds now run on an annual basis, which will drive the rapid deployment of renewable electricity and improve investor certainty. To encourage investment, the Government announced at the 2023 Spring Budget a policy of full expensing, which will mean that the UK has the joint most generous capital allowance regime in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Businesses: Solihull

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to help businesses reduce energy bills in Solihull.

Amanda Solloway: Following on from the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, the Energy Bill Discount Scheme (EBDS) will run from April until March 2024, and will continue to provide a discount to eligible non-domestic customers, including businesses in Solihull. Under the EBDS, non-domestic customers who have a contract with a licensed energy supplier will see a unit discount of up to £6.97/MWh automatically applied to their gas bill and a unit discount of up to £19.61/MWh applied to their electricity bill, except for those benefitting from lower energy prices. Businesses will also benefit from the additional £6bn the government is investing in energy efficiency to reduce energy consumption in homes and businesses.

Biofuels: National Grid

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, If he will make it his policy to increase the national grid capacity and network to encourage horticulture growers to invest in renewables .

Andrew Bowie: The Government is committed to accelerating the delivery of new electricity network capacity to accommodate new renewable generation, as set out, jointly with Ofgem, in the Electricity Networks Strategic Framework. Through Ofgem’s Accelerating Strategic Transmission Investment work, approximately £20bn worth of network projects have been accelerated to support new renewable generation. In addition, Ofgem have removed or reduced the contribution to distribution network reinforcement costs which may be required to accommodate a connection. This has made it cheaper for customers, including horticulture growers, to connect renewables and other low carbon technologies to the electricity distribution network.

Energy Intensive Industries: Agriculture and Horticulture

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will extend the definition of energy-intensive industries to include (a) horticulture and (b) other energy intensive agriculture sectors.

Graham Stuart: The Government has no plans to extend the sectors included within the energy and trade intensive industries element of the Energy Bill Discount Scheme. The Energy Bill Relief Scheme review assessed qualitative and quantitative evidence from stakeholders on sectors that may be most affected by rising energy prices based on energy and trade intensity. The outcome of the review informed the criteria of the Energy Bill Discount Scheme (EBDS) and the higher level of support to be provided for the most energy and trade intensive sectors which meet agreed thresholds for energy and trade intensity. The methodology for determining the eligibility of SIC Codes for the higher Energy and Trade Intensive Industry (ETII) support is available on GOV.UK.

Warm Home Prescription

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his department plans to take steps to extend the Warm Home Prescription pilot.

Amanda Solloway: A decision to extend the Warm Home Prescription pilot does not sit with the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero. You may wish to ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. The Government extended and expanded the Warm Home Discount scheme from winter 2022/23, supporting more low-income households with £150 energy bill rebates, as well as providing universal support for all households through the Energy Price Guarantee.

Energy: Meters

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will take steps to prevent energy suppliers forcibly installing prepayment meters under warrant; and what steps he is taking to help prevent the mistreatment of vulnerable customers.

Amanda Solloway: Following my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State’s intervention, all suppliers have agreed to cease the forced installation of prepayment meters and the remote switching of smart meters to prepayment mode. This pause was due to end on 31 March but was indefinitely extended whilst Ofgem and industry developed a code of practice to improve consumer safeguards. All energy suppliers have now signed up to an updated Code of Practice and tougher Ofgem oversight of involuntary prepayment meter installations. More information can be found here: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/all-energy-suppliers-sign-tougher-ofgem-oversight-and-new-code-practice-involuntary-prepayment-installations.

Energy: Prices

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will have discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of introducing a social tariff to reduce the energy costs of vulnerable customers in receipt of benefits.

Amanda Solloway: Government ministers meet regularly to discuss a range of issues. Officials in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero are working closely with other Government Departments to assess options, including social tariffs, for a new approach to consumer protection from 2024. The Government intends to consult on options in summer 2023 that better targets support for those most in need.

Energy: Meters

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of Ofgem's guidance on refraining from involuntary installations of prepayment meters from customers over 85 years old; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of preventing companies from involuntarily installing these meters for all pensioners.

Amanda Solloway: The regulation of the energy sector is for independent regulator Ofgem. The code of practice on involuntary installation of prepayment meters was developed by Ofgem after extensive discussions with stakeholders. All suppliers have signed up to the Code and must demonstrate its implementation before reinstating force-fitted prepayment meters. Ofgem will consult on incorporating the Code into the supply licence, to make it fully enforceable by winter. Ofgem require energy suppliers to support vulnerable customers, including those over pension age, and the provision of additional services through a Priority Services Register. Ofgem monitors compliance with their rules protecting vulnerable consumers.

Energy: Meters

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of Ofgem's (a) Code of Practice on involuntary prepayment installations and (b) guidance on pre-payment meters for residents with severe health issues.

Amanda Solloway: The regulation of the energy sector is for independent regulator Ofgem. The code of practice was developed by Ofgem after extensive discussions with stakeholders. All suppliers have signed up to the Code and must demonstrate its implementation before reinstating force-fitted prepayment meter process. Ofgem will consult on incorporating the Code into the supply licence, to make it fully enforceable by winter. Ofgem require energy suppliers to support vulnerable customers, including those with health conditions, and the provision of additional services through a Priority Services Register. Ofgem monitors compliance with their rules protecting vulnerable consumers.

Alternative Fuel Payments: Second Homes

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April to Question 175730 on Alternative Fuel Payments: Second Homes, if he will publish details of the checks which are conducted on applications for Alternative Fuel Payments to ensure that claims from second homeowners or holiday homes are not accepted.

Amanda Solloway: Applicants are asked to self-declare when making an application whether an address given is their primary residence. Local Authorities are required to check this self-declaration against their Council Tax records.

Alternative Fuel Payments: Second Homes

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April to Question 175730 on Alternative Fuel Payments: Second Homes, what steps he has taken to ensure that no claims for Alternative Fuel Payments have been made for (a) second and (b) holiday homes.

Amanda Solloway: The Government have required applicants to self-declare when making an application to the Alternative Fund whether an address given is their primary residence. The Department has provided guidance to Local Authorities regarding steps which should be taken in regard to verification. If at any stage a Local Authority is aware that property was not the primary resident of the address at the time of the application, then this is treated as suspected fraud.

Energy: Meters

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his letter of 30 January 2023 to all Members of Parliament, whether he plans to publish data received in response to the request for the release of supplier data on the number of warrant applications that suppliers have made to force entry to homes to install meters.

Amanda Solloway: Following a request from the Secretary of State, all suppliers have provided data on warrants. The Government has published this data, showing that over 94,000 prepayment meters were forcibly installed under warrant last year. More information can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/news/just-three-energy-suppliers-making-up-over-70-of-all-forced-installation-of-prepayment-meters.

Energy Bills Rebate: Northern Ireland

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to issue guidance to energy companies in Northern Ireland on (a) tackling fraudulent use of energy support vouchers and (b) reissuing vouchers to customers who have not been able to redeem theirs as a result of fraud.

Amanda Solloway: The Department is aware of a small number of cases in which customers have reported that they have not received their voucher and yet it has already been redeemed. Customers are required to produce various forms of evidence and identification when redeeming a voucher and this is set out in the scheme guidance. The Government is working closely with suppliers to ensure eligible customers receive their payment as soon as possible, whilst appropriately protecting public money.

Hydrogen

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the difference in the level of funding provided for hydrogen power in (a) Germany and (b) the UK.

Graham Stuart: The Government’s target of up to 10GW low-carbon production capacity and its Hydrogen Business Model positions the UK well internationally, supporting over 12,000 jobs and £11bn private investment in the UK by 2030. Germany is a key partner in this field with opportunities to develop trade and investment links. This year, the Government intends to consult on options for market intervention supporting hydrogen to power. Hydrogen to power can provide reliable low-carbon, flexible generation with a decarbonisation pathway for unabated generation, supporting the UK's decarbonisation ambitions and security of supply.

Housing: Energy

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the policy paper entitled Powering up Britain, published on 30 March 2023, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of funding for energy efficiency measures installed in buildings.

Graham Stuart: Forty seven percent of homes in England now have reached the Government’s 2035 ambition of achieving EPC C levels, up from 14% in 2010. The Government is firmly committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The Government is investing £6.6 billion over this Parliament on clean heat and improving energy efficiency in buildings. A four-year, £4 billion extension of ECO with ECO4 has also been committed to accelerate efforts to improve homes to meet fuel poverty targets.

Carbon Emissions

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Powering up Britain report published on the 30th March, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the levels of investment in decarbonisation between (a) Germany, (b) France, (c) United States and (d) the UK.

Graham Stuart: The UK is leading the world on tackling climate change. Between 1990 and 2021, it has cut emissions by 48%, faster than any other G7 country, while growing its economy by 65%. The UK starts from a strong position and has, according to analysis of data from BloombergNEF, delivered the second highest cumulative amount of recorded low-carbon investment across Europe over the last 5 years. BNEF data also shows that the UK has seen nearly £200 billion of investment into low carbon sectors since 2010, 50% higher than the US as a share of GDP.

Energy Bills Rebate: Glasgow Central

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many people have not taken up their entitlement to energy bills support scheme vouchers for prepayment meters in Glasgow Central constituency.

Amanda Solloway: Reporting to the four months to January 31st, 2023, shows an estimated 31,210 Energy Bills Support Scheme traditional prepayment meter vouchers were issued to households in Glasgow Central, with 17,760 (57%) of these redeemed. October and November vouchers were valued at £66, and December and January’s were valued at £67 meaning the 13,450 unredeemed vouchers have a value of at least £887,700. Transparency data on Energy Bills Support Scheme GB payments made by electricity suppliers to customers is reported monthly and can be found at:www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-bills-support-scheme-payments-made-by-electricity-suppliers-to-customers.

Tidal Power

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of tidal flow power.

Graham Stuart: The Government’s position is that tidal stream power has a role to play as we transition towards a carbon-neutral energy sector. For that reason, tidal stream is included in the scope of the draft National Policy Statement for Energy published in March 2023. This builds on the success of the fourth Contracts for Difference Allocation Round last year in which over 40MW of new tidal stream capacity was secured in Scotland and Wales and the announcement of a ringfenced budget for the fifth round this year.

Energy Bills Rebate

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of how many people (a) living on houseboats, (b) in the travelling community and (c) for other reasons, are excluded from the current energy support schemes; and what steps he is taking to tackle such exclusions.

Amanda Solloway: Due to the dispersed and/or isolated nature of many of the households living on boats and in caravans not on registered sites, it is difficult to estimate the exact number of individuals who are unable to receive the Energy Bill Support Scheme. Officials are also working to establish whether there is a robust method for these households to provide proof of eligibility, whilst protecting public funds, so they can claim the EBSS payment.

Biochar

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has taken recent steps to encourage the use of biochar as a (a) soil promoter, (b) substitute for imported fertiliser and (c) carbon capture method.

Graham Stuart: The Department through its Direct Air Capture and Greenhouse Gas Removal Innovation Programme is supporting five biochar pilot demonstrators for carbon capture, at a value of £18.7million, to be completed by March 2025. UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) is also funding a biochar demonstrator project that will investigate the stability of biochar, as well as its impacts on the environment and soil ecosystems, in different UK land management scenarios. Use of biochar as a technology is at an early stage of development and therefore deployment potential, costs and possible side-effects from use are uncertain. Results from the projects supported will help to inform future government policy on biochar as a greenhouse gas removal method.

Solar Power

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department has put in place to help promote solar power in the UK.

Graham Stuart: The Government is incentivising large-scale solar through the Contracts for Difference scheme and rooftop solar through various financial and regulatory measures. These include the Smart Export Guarantee, removal of VAT on domestic panels, tax relief and business rate exemptions. The Government is exploring low-cost finance options to support upfront costs for households and businesses and reviewing permitted development rights to simplify planning for commercial projects. The Government will publish a solar deployment roadmap in 2024 and is establishing a taskforce to drive forward further actions needed to achieve the Government's ambition of around a fivefold increase in solar capacity by 2035.

Alternative Fuel Payments: Houseboats

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent progress his Department has made on providing itinerant liveaboard boaters with Alternative Fuel Payment support.

Amanda Solloway: The Government is keen to support these households and to ensure that they can receive the Alternative Fuel Payment via the Alternative Fund where eligible. The Government is currently working to find an acceptable method for these households to provide proof of eligibility, whilst protecting public funds, so they can claim the Alternative Fuel Payment Alternative Fund support.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Buildings: Safety

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate his Department has made of the cumulative cost for leaseholders of the new building safety regime since the Building Safety Act received Royal Assent.

Lee Rowley: The department published an impact assessment in July 2021 that accompanied the introduction of the Building Safety Bill to Parliament. This estimated the ongoing costs of the new building safety regime (excluding the costs of Part 5, protections for leaseholders), which could then be passed on to leaseholders.We intend to publish a revised estimate of the cost to leaseholders in the Impact Assessment that will accompany proposed secondary legislation relating to Part 4 of the Building Safety Act.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, on what basis Ministers may decide to vary the ranked order of bids for funding to tackle economic inactivity in Northern Ireland through the Shared Prosperity Fund.

Dehenna Davison: The criteria for the selection of projects to address economic inactivity was set out in the competition documents and the assessment criteria was also published.

Elections: Proof of Identity

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, for what reason certain concessionary identity cards will be accepted as identification for the purpose of voting in future elections whilst others will not.

Dehenna Davison: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 180947 on the 20th April 2023.

Park Homes: Sales

Richard Foord: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he intends to publish a response to the report Mobile Homes: The impact of a change in the maximum park home sale commission, published on 16 June 2022.

Rachel Maclean: Announcements will be made in the usual way.

Housing: Older People

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to increase the range and quality of housing available to older people.

Rachel Maclean: The Government has committed to a new taskforce to look at how we can provide greater choice, quality and security of housing for older people. On 4 April we announced the appointment of Professor Julienne Meyer as the new independent Chair of the taskforce. Ministers look forward to hearing the taskforce's views and advice in the coming months.

Private Rented Housing

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the White Paper entitled A Fairer Private Rented Sector, published on 16 June 2022, what plans the Government has to bring forward the Renters Reform Bill.

Rachel Maclean: I refer my Hon Friend to the answer I gave in Oral Parliamentary Questions on 27 March 2023 (Official Report, HC, Volume 730, Column 642).

Private Rented Housing: Evictions

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to take steps to introduce protections against retaliatory eviction for people who complain about disrepair in the private rented sector.

Rachel Maclean: The Government will introduce a Renters Reform Bill that will deliver the manifesto commitment to end Section 21 'no fault' evictions.

Rents: Regulation

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of introducing (a) a rent freeze in London and (b) other rent controls on (i) levels of homelessness, (ii) the availability of housing stock in the private rented sector and (iii) levels of affordability for tenants.

Rachel Maclean: The Government does not support freezing rents as a form of rent control. Evidence suggests that rent controls discourage investment in the sector and lead to declining property standards as a result. This would help neither landlords nor tenants. International examples also suggest that rent controls can have a negative impact on the supply of housing and may encourage illegal subletting.

Leasehold

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to reform leaseholding.

Rachel Maclean: Announcements will be made in the usual way.

Permitted Development Rights

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has (a) cancelled or (b) altered an article four direction issued by a local authority (i) to suspend permitted development rights for a house in multiple occupation and (ii) for other reasons in the period since 2010.

Rachel Maclean: The requested information is not available for the period since 2010.Since the national policy on Article 4 directions was amended on 1 July 2021, the department has not cancelled or modified any Article 4 directions which disapply permitted development rights for a house in multiple occupation. Since July 2021, the department has modified Article 4 directions for 10 local authorities for other reasons.

Private Rented Housing

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether it remains his policy to progress the Renters’ Reform Bill this Parliament.

Rachel Maclean: I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to PQ 147433 on 27 February 2023.

Affordable Housing: Finance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to allow the Affordable Homes programme to offer a pre-development grant to smaller community housing providers that lack the working capital to bring forward schemes for capital funding bids; and if he will make a statement.

Rachel Maclean: The Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) provides capital grants for new homes.The Government values the role of smaller housing providers in delivering housing supply where it is most needed. The AHP enables smaller providers to access grant funding through a Continuous Market Engagement (CME) function, which is designed to support individual schemes. Providers can be paid on a cashflow basis, which supports them to make initial investment in developing new sites before they start building work.Since the most recent round of the Community Housing Fund closed in March 2022, the Government has been considering what support it may provide to the community-led housing sector and we will make a decision in due course.

Private Rented Housing

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 28 June 2023 to Question 21263 on Private Rented Housing, for what reasons he has maintained the requirement for Secretary of State approval for larger local authority selective licencing schemes.

Rachel Maclean: All tenants should have access to a good quality and safe homes. Selective licensing is a targeted tool to improve standards and safety in the private rented sector in areas suffering from issues such as poor housing quality, levels of deprivation and anti-social behaviour. In the White Paper: A Fairer Private Rented Sector, we set out how we are going to reform the private rented sector to level up housing quality and increase the tools available to local authorities to crack down on poor quality, building on the powers already available, including selective licensing.We continue to review the use of selective licensing via our approval process and engagement with local authorities. We will consider throughout the development of the private rented sector reforms how selective licensing will work with the new system. In the meantime, selective licensing remains an effective tool for local authorities to tackle issues in their local private rented sector.

Planning: Floods

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of including planning policies related to flooding risk in the revised National Planning Policy Framework.

Rachel Maclean: The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is already clear that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided by directing development away from areas at highest risk (whether existing or future). Where development is necessary in such areas, the development should be made safe for its lifetime without increasing flood risk elsewhere.  This is supported by the Flood risk and coastal change Planning Practice Guidance which we significantly revised in August 2022.Furthermore, the recent Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill: reforms to national planning policy consultation, which closed 2 March 2023, signalled that we will keep this important aspect of national planning policy under review to ensure it is sufficiently robust to keep future development safe from floods and to not increase risk elsewhere.

Leasehold: Ground Rent

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to cap ground rents for leaseholders who bought their lease before the Leasehold Reform (Ground Rent) Act 2022 came into force.

Rachel Maclean: Announcements will be made in the usual way.

Horticulture: Planning Permission

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking with local government to deliver a planning policy that encourages horticultural growers to expand and modernise.

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on support for planning applications by agricultural businesses to (a) install solar panels and (b) expand into the green energy sector.

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he has taken to (a) invest in and (b) fast-track the planning process for water storage, recycling and treatment on farms.

Rachel Maclean: Planning policy encourages growth through the conversion of existing buildings and promoting well-designed new buildings, alongside the development and diversification of agricultural and other land-based rural businesses. In addition, there are a range of existing permitted development rights which allow for certain agricultural development to take place without a planning application.The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is also clear that local authorities should have a positive strategy in place to promote energy from renewables. Permitted development rights currently allow for the installation of rooftop solar up to one megawatt on non-domestic properties, such as farm buildings.A planning application is not usually required for smaller, on-farm reservoirs, where the waste material excavated to develop a reservoir remains on the farm. An existing permitted development right allows for the creation of smaller, on-farm reservoirs. The right is subject to prior approval, providing a streamlined planning process allowing for local consideration of specific planning matters set out in legislation.In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.

Affordable Housing: Sales

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he will make an assessment of the potential merits of preventing the general sale of Affordable Housing at a discount to the open market valuation price without the imposition of eligibility criteria.

Rachel Maclean: If Registered Providers (RPs) sell homes that have been grant funded as affordable housing on the open market then the agencies who provided the funding can recover that grant. Those agencies can require the RPs to reinvest money in new affordable housing.All social housing providers are required to comply with standards set by the Regulator for Social Housing. These standards maintain that RPs must have governance arrangements in place that safeguard taxpayers' interests as well as protecting social housing assets and the wider reputation of the sector.

Private Rented Housing: Pets

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department collects data on the average rental costs for (a) properties accepting pets and (b) properties refusing pets in the private rented sector.

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has taken steps to support people who live in privately rented properties with the costs of keeping a pet during the rise in the cost of living.

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions he has had with animal welfare charities on the impact of the supply of housing on pet owners.

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department supports animal welfare charities with increased handovers of pets caused by the level of available pet-friendly housing.

Rachel Maclean: Further to the answer given in response to Question UIN 174324 on 3 April 2023, the Government will legislate to give tenants in the private rented sector (PRS) a legal 'right to request a pet' that the landlord must consider and cannot unreasonably refuse. Officials have discussed these proposals with animal welfare organisations.The department does not collect data on the average rental costs for properties accepting or refusing pets in the PRS.The Government understands the pressures that people are facing with the cost of living and has taken decisive action to support households. We are providing support for worth over £26 billion in 2023/24, in addition to the benefits uprating, which is worth £11 billion to working age households and disabled people. Cost of Living payments will be available in 2023/24 including £900 for households on means-tested benefits, £300 for pensioner households, and £150 for individuals on disability benefits.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Northern Ireland

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Answer of 3 March 2021 to Question 159322 on UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), what steps he is taking to ensure that UKSPF funding in Northern Ireland will at least match previous receipts from EU structural funds in each of the next five years.

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, for what reason there is no appeal process for decisions on applications under the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to meet representatives of the Training for Women Network Ltd to discuss the provision of training places through the Athena project.

Dehenna Davison: The department followed the published assessment criteria in taking selection decisions and ensured allocation of funding to a suitable mix of projects to address all geographies and range of needs. Unsuccessful bidders will receive feedback on their bid in due course and my officials can further discuss the reasons why bids were unsuccessful where appropriate.UK Shared Prosperity Fund allocations for 2022-23 to 2024-25 have been published. We are ensuring that domestic UK-wide funding will at least match EU receipts across the UK, reaching around £1.5 billion a year in 2024-25 when EU funding ceases, while also providing for a smooth transition onto the new, domestic regime. Funding for 2025 onwards is a matter for the Spending Review in 2024.

Wind Power: Planning Permission

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to permit the development of new onshore wind farms in England.

Rachel Maclean: We have consulted on proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework for onshore wind,The consultation closed on 2 March 2023 and an official response will be set out in due course.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund: Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much and what proportion of funding allocated to tackle economic inactivity in Northern Ireland through the Shared Prosperity Fund was awarded to organisations working with women.

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many bids to Shared Prosperity Fund economic inactivity allocation in Northern Ireland were unsuccessful; and what their total value is.

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 on the ability of Northern Ireland departments and agencies to engage with his Department.

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the equity of the geographical distribution of successful bids to Shared Prosperity Fund economic inactivity strand in Northern Ireland.

Dehenna Davison: The department received 42 applications. 18 bidders and approximately 80 partners will receive over £57.5m in UK Shared Prosperity Fund support. 24 applications were unsuccessful. £30.5m of applications were not funded in full or in part.The selection criteria were published on gov.uk. This allowed for ministerial discretion to (a) ensure a reasonable thematic split of projects and (b) a balanced geographic spread of projects. After considering the highest scoring bids, our decision to allocate additional funding allowed us to support a suitable mix of projects to address all geographies and a range of needs.All eighteen funded projects will support economically inactive women, and many projects have identified women as a priority cohort. Many organisations that have a strong focus on women have been successful as a lead bidder or a project partner, including Women's Training, Education, and Childcare’s £872k Building Futures project, and Women's Resource and Development Agency's £1.27m Scaling Up Women's Training, Education & Employment Skills project.While engagement is affected by the lack of a functioning Executive, my department has a productive dialogue with the Northern Ireland Departments. Northern Ireland Arm's Length Bodies were successful in the economic inactivity competition. My officials are also engaging with the Department for the Economy and its Arm's Length Bodies on delivering other aspects of the fund.This collaborative approach has been well received by the departments, who have written to the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee in this regard.

A34: Oxfordshire

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had recent discussions with the CEO of Homes England on funding for the A34 Lodge Hill Slip Road Scheme; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of cancelling that scheme on Oxfordshire's housing numbers.

Rachel Maclean: Homes England are in communication with Oxfordshire County Council regarding the funding for the A34 interchange.

Levelling Up Fund: Cheshire

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will list the scores of the Levelling Up Fund Round 2 bids for (a) Halton - Halton Lea and (b) Cheshire West and Chester - Winnington Bridge.

Dehenna Davison: Alongside the announcement of successful bids to Round 2 of the Levelling Up Fund, we published an Explanatory Note detailing the Levelling Up Fund assessment, shortlisting and decision-making processes. Any further announcements will be made in the usual way. Meanwhile feedback for unsuccessful applicants is continuing.

Anti-social Behaviour

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan, published on 27 March 2023, what criteria were used to select the 16 police and crime commissioner areas.

Dehenna Davison: In choosing the 16 police and crime commissioner areas that will deliver trailblazers of the Immediate Justice and Hotspot programmes, the Government targeted areas that have high levels of reported and perceived anti-social behaviour, and considered wider factors such as deprivation and geographic coverage across England and Wales.

Rented Housing: Pets

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions he has had with local authorities on reforms to support pet-friendly tenancy agreements.

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to promote responsible pet ownership in rented properties.

Rachel Maclean: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 176692 on 21 April 2023.

Park Homes: Sales

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the report entitled, Mobile homes: The impact of a change in the maximum park home sale commission, published by his Department on 16 June 2022, whether he plans to respond to the recommendations in the report.

Rachel Maclean: I refer my Hon Friend to the answer I gave to Question UIN 158983 on 13 March 2023.

Telecommunications: Infrastructure

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending planning regulations for telecommunication infrastructure upgrades to allow objections to be considered where masts or cabinets are to be located on an existing footpath or cycleway and where sufficient space for the proposed infrastructure is available adjacent to the proposed site.

Rachel Maclean: Through our UK Wireless Infrastructure Strategy the government has set a new ambition of nationwide coverage of standalone 5G to all populated areas by 2030, as well as outlining our commitment to extending 4G coverage to 95% of the UK's landmass.On 4 April 2022 amendments to Part 16 of the General Permitted Development Order 2015 came into force to support the deployment of 5G and extend mobile coverage.Alongside these amendments, we published a new Code of Practice for wireless network development. This sets out guidance for Mobile Network Operators and infrastructure providers, their agents and contractors, local planning authorities, and all other relevant stakeholders in England. Guidance is included in the Code of Practice on site selection, and minimising obstructions on footways, which operators should follow.

Private Rented Housing: Pets

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether the Renters Reform Bill will include a ban on no pet clauses.

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Department's White Paper entitled A Fairer Private Rented Sector, published in March 2023, whether his Department plans to issue guidance to landlords on when they can reasonably withhold consent for pets.

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions he has had with representatives of the social housing sector on pet-friendly tenancies.

Rachel Maclean: Further to my answer to Question UIN 136842 on 9 February 2023, the Government will publish guidance for tenants and landlords in the private rented sector (PRS) on what would constitute an unreasonable refusal of a pet before the new rules come into effect.The new legal 'right to request a pet' will apply to the PRS. Many social landlords set out their pet policies in their tenancy agreements and allow tenants to keep pets where it is appropriate to do so, provided they are well looked after and do not adversely affect the lives of neighbours and those living nearby.In the Social Housing White Paper we encourage all social landlords to adopt similar policies.

Housing: Sales

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the balance of risk between the buyer and seller of a house when entering a contract.

Rachel Maclean: The Government is committed to reforming the home buying and selling process and has set its intent to work with industry to ensure the better availability of essential property information upfront, in a digital format. As a result, buyers will have all the critical information they need to know before making an offer on a property, which should lead to an increased level of commitment once an offer is accepted.

Parish and Town Councils: Council Tax

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment he has made of the extent to which town and parish councils are exercising restraint in setting council tax precepts; and whether it remains his Department’s policy to defer setting referendum principles for those councils.

Lee Rowley: The Government monitors increases in town and parish council tax precepts annually and expects to publish data for 2023-24 in May. The department continues to set a clear expectation that such bodies should exercise restraint in setting increases, most recently in our response to the consultation on the provisional local government finance settlement for 2023-24.   Referendum principles for 2023-24, including the decision not to set them for town and parish councils, were approved by the House of Commons on 8 February. The Government will review its policy on town and parish precepts for 2024-25 as part of the local government settlement process.

Buildings: Safety

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Building Safety Act 2022, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of capping the cost that construction companies can charge for building work.

Lee Rowley: The department has a robust cost framework in place using earlier tender price data, industry benchmarks and modelling to drive best value for grant funded remediations. It would be difficult in practice to establish price caps given the wide range of building types and materials. Price ceilings also risk distorting the market and industry practice, as well as reducing the appetite of suppliers to participate in remediation projects.

Buildings: Safety

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2023 to Question 120074 on Buildings: Safety, whether the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State has met representatives for disabled people to discuss (a) challenges faced by and (b) future engagement with disabled people living through remediation works.

Lee Rowley: We are in the process of arranging a meeting with Claddag, so that I can hear from them directly about the impacts that remediation works have on disabled residents. Ministerial meetings will be recorded on the department's website in the usual way.

Buildings: Fire Prevention

Ben Everitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure the independence of the PAS9980 framework for fire risk assessment in cases where a developer owns or holds a stake in a company that assesses and signs off on remediation work completed by that developer.

Lee Rowley: Following a pledge made by major developers last year, 46 developers (as of 18 April 2023) have now signed a contract committing to take responsibility for all necessary work to address life-critical fire-safety defects arising from design and construction of buildings 11 metres and over in height that they developed or refurbished over the last 30 years in EnglandThe developer remediation contract requires that assessments (prior to works being undertaken) and qualifying assessments (to be submitted after works are completed) are carried out by a 'suitably experienced, qualified, independent and competent' fire risk assessor or external wall assessor. The department will have the right to audit those assessments, including (among other things) the right to check whether the assessor meets those criteria. If those assessments or the works themselves fail to meet the requirements set out in the contract, then the developer will be contractually obliged to go back and put things right.

Housing: Construction

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of exempting developments that receive planning permission before 2025 from the Future Homes Standard requirements.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department have made an assessment of the potential merits of conducting a phased implementation of the Future Homes Standard.

Lee Rowley: When the Government makes changes to the Building Regulations, transitional arrangements are put into place which set out the conditions under which a building can be built to the previous standards. These arrangements mean that developers have certainty and assurance about the standards which they have to build to, and that work which is already in progress can be completed without major disruption.In December 2021, the Government implemented an uplift in energy efficiency standards as a stepping-stone to the Future Homes Standards. As part of that, a one-year transitional period was put in place.A full technical consultation on the Future Homes Standard is planned and as part of this we will consider what transitional arrangements are appropriate. Monitoring the impact of the 2021 uplift and the associated transitional arrangements will be a consideration in that process.

Local Government: Elections

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions his Department has had with local authorities which are holding elections in May 2023 on the new voter identification requirements; and what assessment he has made of the extent to which those local authorities are adequately prepared to implement those requirements.

Dehenna Davison: As set out previously, this department is working closely with local authorities, Valuation Joint Boards, and electoral organisations to support their successful implementation of voter identification in May 2023 and beyond.In line with longstanding government policy, New Burdens funding has been provided.

Changing Futures Programme

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent steps his Department has taken to provide support for vulnerable people through the Changing Futures programme.

Felicity Buchan: The £64 million Changing Futures programme was launched in July 2021 with backing from HMT's Shared Outcomes Fund and The National Lottery Community Fund. Since then, fifteen local areas have supported over 2,500 of the most vulnerable adults - people experiencing combinations of mental ill-health, substance misuse, homelessness, domestic abuse and contact with the criminal justice system. Changing Futures provides tailored, flexible support and co-ordinated specialist services to help people to stabilise their lives and start building towards long-term recovery. The programme also supports local areas to drive improvement in the way services work together to support people who might otherwise fall between the gaps.On 4th April 2023, we announced a further £9.5m from the Shared Outcomes Fund, extending the programme through 2024/25.

Housing Associations: Property Management Companies

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to protect tenants of housing associations from unfair treatment by management companies.

Dehenna Davison: Through the Social Housing Regulation Bill, we are introducing a range of measures to drive up standards in social housing. This includes facilitating the introduction of proactive regulation, meaning the Regulator of Social Housing will proactively seek assurances that providers are meeting the regulatory standards.

Disabled Facilities Grants

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the maximum funding available under the Disabled Facilities Grant.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when his Department next plans to review the level of the cap on the Disabled Facilities Grant.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions he has had with disability rights organisations on the Disabled Facilities Grant.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many applications for the Disabled Facilities Grant were (a) submitted and (b) approved in each year from 2010 for which figures are available.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many approved applications in each year for the Disabled Facilities Grant were for (a) the maximum amount of £30,000 and (b) £25,000 to £29,999 in each year from 2010 for which figures are available.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what was the total expenditure of the Disabled Facilities Grant in each year since 2010 for which figures are available.

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what support his Department provides to disabled people who require adaption works to their homes costing more than the £30,000 cap on the Disabled Facilities Grant.

Felicity Buchan: The Disabled Facilities Grant is a shared responsibility with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) given that funding for the grant is provided through the Better Care Fund. Officials from both departments meet regularly with a range of stakeholders interested in this policy.Local areas already have discretion to increase the cap on the grant on a case-by-case basis in line with a locally published housing assistance policy. As with all aspects of the grant, government will keep the upper limit under review.We do not hold official statistics regarding the number of applications for the DFG submitted and approved in each year from 2010, or the numbers of applications since 2010 that have been submitted for either the maximum amount of £30,000 or for amounts between £25,000-£29,999. However, my Department funds a National Body for Home Improvement Agencies, Foundations who publish an annual report which analyses unaudited, voluntary data from Local Authorities which you may find useful. These reports can be found here.Since 2010 government has invested £4.8 billion into the Disabled Facilities Grant (2010-11 to 2022-23), delivering an estimated 490,000 home adaptations.  ****F/Year10-1111-1212-1313-1414-1515-1616-1717-1818-1919-2020-2121-2222-23TotalAmount£169m£200m£220m£200m£185m£220m£394m£473m*£523m**£505m£573m***£573m£573m£4.8bnNo of DFGs45,38343,98636,87442,58640,64540,80046,00047,85053,50058,18138,566TBCTBC494,371I recognise that for some home adaptations the cost of the works can be higher. Where this is the case, and where an authority has a locally published Housing Assistance Policy, authorities can take a local decision to provide grants above the existing £30,000 limit on a case-by-case basis. However, I must be clear that these discretionary grants are a local decision, and I am unable to intervene in individual cases.In addition to providing expert support and advice to local authorities, Foundations also regularly provide information and advice to individual disabled people on applying for a DFG, including advice around other sources of financial support. More information can be found here.* £431m annual grant plus an additional £42m announced in Autumn Budget 2017**£468m annual grant plus an additional £55m announced in Budget 2018***£505m annual grant plus an additional £68m paid to LAs in December 2020**** Source: Foundations, the national body for home improvement agenciesFootnote: Local authorities in England provide annual data on their DFG delivery, however the data is not audited, and local authorities provide this information on a voluntary basis. The headline totals above are based on estimates provided by Foundations which have been extrapolated from the available data.

Elections

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many cases of possible voter personation have been investigated in each of the past ten years; and what estimate he has made of the number of voters likely to be unable to vote due to new voter identification requirements in the local elections to be held in May.

Dehenna Davison: I refer the Hon. Member to urgent question response given on the floor of the House on 21 February 2023 (Official Report, HC, Volume 728, Column 138).The Electoral Commission collects data from all UK police forces about allegations of electoral fraud and publishes an annual report on the numbers, types and outcomes of these allegations. The reports can be found on their website here.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Staff

Simon Jupp: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many staff are working in the Levelling Up Unit in his Department.

Dehenna Davison: We will be publishing updated departmental organograms in due course.

Temporary Accommodation: Regulation

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing temporary accommodation under a national regulator.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of current regulations on temporary accommodation.

Felicity Buchan: Temporary accommodation (TA) in England is subject to national regulation. Legislation is clear that local authorities must ensure TA is suitable in relation to the applicant and all members of their household. Housing authorities should, as a minimum, ensure that all TA is free of Category 1 hazards as identified by the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).If local authorities identify the presence of a category 1 hazard, they have a duty under the Housing Act 2004 to take enforcement action. We have given local authorities strong powers, including financial penalties of up to £30,000, for the most serious and prolific offenders.Applicants may request a review of their TA if they feel it is unsuitable. If an applicant is not satisfied with how the council has handled their case, they may complain to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman or take legal action in the courts.

Rented Housing: Mould

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of how many (a) housing association, (b) council and (c) private rental properties had damp and mould in Stockport constituency in the financial year 2022-2023.

Dehenna Davison: The data requested is held by the local authorities in question.My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State has written to local authorities regarding damp and mould and other hazards, and a copy of that letter is available online.The Regulator of Social Housing also published information on damp and mould in social housing, in February 2023.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February to Question 148806 on Homes for Ukraine Scheme, whether he plans to update the How to rent guidance to include guidance for people leaving a Homes for Ukraine scheme placement; and when he plans to publish existing guidance in Ukrainian and Russian.

Felicity Buchan: We have already republished guidance on renting in Ukrainian and Russian to help households who wish to move on from sponsorship by accessing private rented accommodation: How to Rent guide in Ukrainian and How to Rent guide in Russian.   We have made amendments to eligibility criteria to ensure arrivals from Ukraine under all of the Government's visa schemes are now eligible for housing assistance from day one of their arrival.

Buildings: Carbon Emissions

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the (a) timescale, (b) scope and (c) structure of the proposed consultation on reducing embodied carbon emissions will be.

Lee Rowley: Further announcements will be set out in the usual way.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help support lenders to obtain EWS1 forms for properties below 18 metres.

Lee Rowley: The EWS1 process is a valuation tool owned by industry.On 20 December 2022, the six largest mortgage lenders released a joint statement confirming that, they will consider mortgage applications on properties with building safety issues in England of 11 metres or 5 storeys and above in height. This is subject to their normal policy requirements and the building being part of a developer or government remediation scheme, or protected by the leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act. These changes should see the need to request EWS1 forms will be eased.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many and what proportion of developers who are responsible for fire safety-related defects on buildings over 11 metres in height in England are headquartered overseas.

Lee Rowley: Information on developers who have signed the developer remediation contract is published online. Several signatories are subsidiaries of companies that are based overseas.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

BBC

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the BBC Mid-Term Review, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the way Ofcom evaluates the market impact of changes to the BBC’s public services.

Julia Lopez: In May 2022, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) launched the Mid-Term Review to assess how effectively the governance and regulation arrangements of the BBC are performing and whether any reforms are necessary. The Terms of Reference, published in May 2022, stated that the Review will look at competition and market impact, and will evaluate how the BBC and Ofcom assess the market impact and public value of the BBC in an evolving marketplace and how that relates to the wider UK media ecology, including with regard to commercial radio and local news sectors and other content makers and distributors.DCMS is working through feedback from a wide range of stakeholders to help us develop our conclusions. We are consulting the BBC, Ofcom and the Devolved Administrations on our findings, as required by the Review’s Terms of Reference. The Government is seeking to conclude the review at pace, and to report on its findings by 2024.

Film and Television

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support British (a) film and (b) television (i) production and (ii) screening.

Julia Lopez: The Government is committed to ensuring that British film and television industries are able to deliver for audiences, expand their businesses, attract investment, and offer opportunities for employment across the UK.Our generous tax reliefs play a significant role in boosting competitiveness, incentivising film and television production in the UK, and contributing to the industry’s - and the nation’s - economic growth. At Spring Budget 2023, the Government announced our continued commitment to upholding and expanding the creative industry tax reliefs, with film, high-end TV, children’s TV and animation tax reliefs to be reformed into a single Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit, which will provide a greater benefit than the current tax reliefs.In recent years, the Government has also taken specific action to support the film and TV sectors to bounce back from the pandemic, with production now stronger than ever. This includes the £500 million Film and TV Production Restart Scheme, supporting over 100,000 jobs and productions worth more than £3 billion. In addition, the Culture Recovery Fund supported over 200 independent cinemas to ensure that films could continue to be screened following the pandemic.To support independent screen content, including film, to grow internationally the Government launched the UK Global Screen Fund in April 2021 with initial funding of £7 million. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has committed a further £21 million to this Fund over 2022 - 2025 to develop, distribute and promote independent UK screen content in international markets.In addition, DCMS has funded the British Film Commission (BFC) with £5 million over four years. The BFC’s role is to maximise and support the production of film and TV in the UK and to strengthen and promote the UK’s film and TV infrastructure. With DCMS funding, the BFC is supporting the growth of the UK’s seven geographic production hubs to ensure that the combination of infrastructure, stage space and crew in those locations is set up to attract and accommodate even more major inward investment.

Sports: Clothing

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the implications for the Government's policies of suppliers charging VAT on children's sportswear.

Stuart Andrew: The Secretary of the State has not had any recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding the amount of VAT charged on children’s sportswear.Under the current VAT rules, all children’s clothing and footwear designed for young children who are less than 14 years of age, including sportswear, attract a zero-rate of VAT, meaning that no VAT is charged on the sale of these items.

Youth Services: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding the Government has provided to the youth sector in each year since 2015 in (a) London, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) Enfield North constituency.

Stuart Andrew: Set out in section 507B of the Education Act 1996, Local Authorities have a statutory duty to ‘secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient provision of educational and recreational leisure-time activities for young people’. This is funded from the Local Government settlement, the majority of which is un-ringfenced, allowing local authorities to spend on services according to local priorities, including on youth services.Details of all Local Authorities annual spending on youth services can be found in Section 251 data published on gov.uk. Funding is not allocated by the Parliamentary constituency and as such the data will not provide a figure for the Enfield North constituency.The Government recognises the vital role that youth services and activities play in improving the life chances and wellbeing of young people. In England, between 2015 - 2021, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), including the National Citizen Service (NCS) Trust, has provided over £1.1 billion to the youth sector. During this Spending Review Period, DCMS is investing over £500 million in youth services to deliver the National Youth Guarantee, a government commitment that by 2025, every young person will have access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many young people have graduated from National Citizen Service (NCS) since its inception; and what the annual cost to the public purse of NCS has been (a) in total and (b) per head in that period.

Stuart Andrew: Between 2011/12 and 2021/22, 710,774 young people participated in the National Citizen Service (NCS) programme. In 2022/23, more than 100,000 young people benefited from the NCS programme. The final participation number will be confirmed in the NCS Trust’s 2022/23 Annual Report and Accounts, which will be published later this year.Consecutive, independent evaluations have demonstrated the positive impacts that NCS delivers both to its participants on key target areas including social cohesion, social mobility, leadership and civic engagement. NCS has been shown to have an even greater positive impact on certain priority groups. NCS’ 2019 evaluation showed that for every £1 of taxpayer money spent, £3.05 was provided back to society in terms of wellbeing benefits.The NCS programme has been allocated a total of £1.4 billion since inception. The table below shows the allocated funding per year, to the nearest million. In this period, the NCS programme transitioned from being delivered by NCS Trust Community Interest Company to being delivered by NCS Trust, a Public Body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Year2011/122012/132013/142014/152015/162016/172017/182018/192019/202020/212021/222022/232023/24Total grant funding (£M)21628411715518118618917675967249The cost-per-head of NCS experiences has decreased during that period. In 2015, the cost-per-head was £1,825 coming down to £1,721 in 2019. Since the start of the covid-19 pandemic, NCS Trust offered a range of experiences including schools-based, community-based and digital opportunities with a lower cost-per-head.

Cricket: Racial Discrimination

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the implications for (a) her policies and (b) cricket at all levels of the verdict of the Cricket Discipline Commission in March 2023 on allegations of racism by Yorkshire County Cricket Club and seven other indivduals.

Stuart Andrew: The Government is clear that racism has no place in cricket, sport, or society at large. We welcomed the steps that the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) Cricket Disciplinary Commission took to investigate historic racism allegations at Yorkshire County Cricket Club.We expect to see clear and sustained evidence of cultural change across the club and the sport and will continue to hold the ECB to account on this.

Young People: Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding the Government has provided to the youth sector in each year since 2015.

Stuart Andrew: The Government recognises the vital role that youth services and activities play in improving the life chances and wellbeing of young people. Between 2015 - 2021 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), including the National Citizen Service (NCS) Trust, have provided over £1.1 billion to the youth sector. This does not include funding provided to the youth sector by DCMS’ other arms-length bodies, other government department programmes or Local Authorities, as we do not hold this data.Over this Spending Review Period, DCMS is investing over £500 million in youth services to deliver the National Youth Guarantee, a government commitment that by 2025, every young person will have access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer.

Gambling

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an estimate of the contribution of the betting and gaming industry to the economy.

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate her Department has made of the (a) size of the gambling black market and (b) annual cost to the Exchequer of Illegal betting.

Stuart Andrew: The Government recognises the contribution that the betting and gaming industry makes to the economy. Estimates indicate that the sector accounted for £5.7 billion or 0.3% of UK Gross Value added (GVA) in 2019 and pays approximately £2 billion per year to the exchequer in gambling duties, excluding Lottery Duty.The Government’s Review of the Gambling Act 2005 has been looking as part of its broad scope at the size of the black market and how easy illegal websites are to access, as well as whether the Gambling Commission has the powers and resources it needs. We will publish a white paper in the coming weeks.

Gambling Act 2005 Review

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to publish the Gambling Act Review White Paper.

Stuart Andrew: Our review of the Gambling Act 2005 is the most comprehensive review of gambling regulation since the 2005 Act came into force. We will publish a white paper setting out our conclusions and next steps in the coming weeks.

Football: Pay

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with football governing bodies on the potential merits of reducing the gender pay gap between male and female footballers.

Stuart Andrew: We have been clear that we are right behind growing women and girls sports in every aspect - from grassroots all the way up to the elite level. Over the last few years, the game has grown significantly and at a rapid pace and the success of the Lionesses has highlighted that. However, we need processes and structures in place that protect the interests of the game and the people working in it.The independent Review of Women’s Football which launched in September will support the continued growth and development of the women’s game to ensure it has a strong and sustainable future. I look forward to seeing the Review’s final report in Summer 2023.

Gambling

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many meetings she has had with gambling charities since her appointment.

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many meetings she has had with the betting and gaming industry since her appointment.

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many meetings her Department has had with the betting and gaming industry since the appointment of a new minister with responsibility for gambling.

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she next plans to meet representatives of the betting and gaming industry.

Stuart Andrew: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s ministers and officials meet regularly with a range of gambling stakeholders, including industry and charity representatives, to hear their views on the sector and discuss areas of concern. These meetings will continue in the lead up to publication of the white paper, and afterwards.All ministerial meetings are published on GOV.UK and can be accessed on the website.

Gambling

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of problem gambling rates.

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the contribution of the betting and gaming industry to the reduction of problem gambling rates.

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if her Department will make an estimate of the level of problem gambling in the UK.

Stuart Andrew: As set out in Public Health England’s evidence review on gambling-related harms, the estimated overall adult population problem gambling rate for England was 0.5% in 2018. The 2016 Great Britain wide combined Health Survey found a problem gambling rate of 0.7%. The overall rate has been stable below 1% for over two decades, but there are variations below this headline level depending on region, age, sex and other factors.To supplement the Health Surveys and for more up to date information, the Gambling Commission carries out a quarterly survey by telephone on a smaller sample using a shortened problem gambling screen. For the year to December 2022 this estimated an adult population problem gambling rate of 0.2%.The Government’s Review of the Gambling Act aims to ensure the right protections and requirements on operators are in place to prevent harm. We will publish a white paper setting out our assessment, conclusions and next steps in the coming weeks.

Media

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to put the Editorial Code on a statutory basis.

Julia Lopez: The Government is committed to independent self-regulation of the press, and does not intervene in or oversee the work of the press regulators.The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) has established strong regulatory standards and codes for its members, and offers individuals a means of redress where these standards are not met.

British Film Institute: Finance

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much the British Film Institute has received in applications for funding from each region in each of the last three years.

Julia Lopez: The British Film Institute’s (BFI) ten year strategy, Screen Culture 2033, sets out the core principle for the work of the BFI to reach across all of our nation.The below table sets out the number of applications to the BFI for both their National Lottery funding and their government-provided Grant-in-Aid funding, broken down by region, in the past three years (2019-2022). The table also sets out the number of awards given over each of those years, also broken down by region based on beneficiary location (drawn from postcode data, in accordance with the methodology agreed with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport). Region2019-202020-212021-223-Year TOTAL ApplicationsAwardsApplicationsAwardsApplicationsAwardsApplicationsAwardsENGLAND East Midlands4,7085,39715,0438,1755,0135,33924,76318,911ENGLAND Eastern7,6449,24710,46312,04622,53310,55940,64031,852ENGLAND London143,21317,814138,30124,541152,27818,405433,79360,760ENGLAND North East1,9352,3011,0992,1592,7052,7205,7407,180ENGLAND North West7,9536,13311,7736,29718,1707,15537,89619,585ENGLAND South East19,4848,44520,40710,63018,80011,47358,69230,548ENGLAND South West9,7075,52013,5488,26110,3417,19133,59520,972ENGLAND West Midlands11,4066,02212,3755,8235,7176,71429,49918,559ENGLAND Yorkshire & Humberside9,0886,1909,9937,24711,3847,61030,46521,047NORTHERN IRELAND10,4956,25310,9255,73711,2818,09532,70220,085SCOTLAND7,6185,0595,6193,8417,2855,91220,52214,812WALES3,3993,1724,3072,3456,5623,42214,2688,939Total236,65281,553253,85497,102272,06794,595762,572273,250 To note, given the assessment process, applications may be made in one year, and processed or awarded in the following year. Therefore, a direct correlation cannot be established between the applications and awards made in any single year.Extrapolated from the figures in the above table, the below table further provides the proportion of applications and awards over the three years 2019 - 2022, broken down per region. RegionProportion of Applications (over 3 years)Proportion of Awards (over 3 years)ENGLAND East Midlands3%7%ENGLAND Eastern5%12%ENGLAND London57%22%ENGLAND North East1%3%ENGLAND North West5%7%ENGLAND South East8%11%ENGLAND South West4%8%ENGLAND West Midlands4%7%ENGLAND Yorkshire & Humberside4%8%NORTHERN IRELAND4%7%SCOTLAND3%5%WALES2%3%

Video Games: Finance

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport,  what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the proposal by the Independent Game Developers’ Association to introduce a Video Games Investment Fund.

Julia Lopez: The Government is committed to supporting the growth of the UK’s games sector. As part of a wider package to support the growth of the creative industries, the Government has expanded the UK Games Fund with over £8 million investment over three years starting in April 2022. The Government recognises the high potential of UK games companies and the UK Games Fund will continue to provide targeted support to early-stage games development and talented graduates throughout the UK. In addition, the Video Games Tax Relief continues to make the UK one of the leading destinations in the world for making video games.While we are not taking forward the proposal on the Video Games Investment Fund at this point in time, we welcome continued discussions with the games industry on how best to support a thriving UK games sector.

Department for Transport

Roads: Ellesmere Port and Neston

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what meetings his Department has had on the adequacy of roads in Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency in the last year.

Mr Richard Holden: My Department has regular meetings with Cheshire West and Chester which discusses a full range of local transport issues.

Motorways

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will (a) ensure that hard shoulders are reinstated along every motorway and (b) abolish the smart motorway programme on all UK motorways.

Mr Richard Holden: The Government has decided to cancel plans for the construction of all new smart motorway schemes. Restoring the hard shoulder while maintaining capacity would be hugely disruptive and come at enormous cost.  The added congestion caused would push motorists from motorways, the safest roads in the country, onto roads that are less safe, putting all road users at increased risk.

Motorways: Litter

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing pilot schemes to use AI to identify vehicles from which litter is discarded on motorways.

Mr Richard Holden: There are a small number of products available that claim to be able to detect littering from vehicles. National Highways is aware of the opportunities of using AI for this purpose and is exploring a range of options to potentially partner with a local authority to use AI enabled CCTV cameras to capture littering from vehicles.

Roads: Fly-tipping and Litter

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to carry out his statutory responsibilities under the Environment Protection Act 1989 to keep strategic highway land clear of litter and tipping.

Mr Richard Holden: The second Road Investment Strategy (2020-25) includes a litter performance indicator. National Highways is committed to reporting the percentage of the Strategic Road Network on which National Highways hold litter clearance responsibility, that had no litter, refuse or detritus, or was predominately free of litter, refuse or detritus apart from some small items in line with the Code of practice on litter and refuse published by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The Department, alongside the independent Highways Monitor (Office for Rail and Road) regularly monitor performance against this litter indicator and discuss with National Highways how performance can continuously be improved. We are developing the third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3) and continue to explore potential metrics for inclusion in RIS3 performance specification, as well as possible improvements to existing metrics such as litter. We are working to ensure that the targeted metrics in RIS3 – the Key Performance Indicators focus on the things that are most important to road users and contribute to wider government priorities. This process will involve considering the responses to the forthcoming public consultation on National Highways’ Strategic Road Network Initial Report.

M60 and M67: Denton and Reddish

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will take steps to facilitate a meeting between National Highways and the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish on site at the M60 and M67 in Denton and Reddish constituency.

Mr Richard Holden: National Highways will be happy meet the honourable Member for Denton and Reddish to discuss litter on the Strategic Roads in his constituency.

Pedestrian Crossings: Schools

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department issues on criteria for safe crossings around schools.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reducing speed limits around schools.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of school streets.

Mr Richard Holden: Responsibility for highway management, including the provision of school streets and the design, installation and maintenance of pedestrian crossings, rests with local traffic authorities. The Department is working with stakeholders to develop guidance to support local authorities that wish to introduce School Streets schemes. Local authorities need to consider local factors such as presence of schools, pedestrian numbers, road layout, traffic flow and speed and accident records in deciding whether a crossing is necessary, and if so what type to provide. The Department has published guidance on the assessment and design of pedestrian crossings, in Chapter 6 of the Traffic Signs Manual. This is available to download from: www.gov.uk/government/publications/traffic-signs-manual. The Department published a comprehensive three-year evaluation of the effect of 20mph signed-only limits on 22 November 2018. Active Travel England is providing revenue and capital funding to England’s local authorities to plan and deliver active travel interventions, including School Streets.

Active Travel

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the value for money it has achieved by investing in (a) all active travel schemes and (b) cycling schemes.

Mr Richard Holden: Value for money is one of several factors the Department considers when evaluating the effect of its investments. Investment in active travel schemes typically delivers high value for money. Increased rates of active travel can deliver mental and physical health benefits, improvements to the quality of journeys made, and benefits associated with mode shift from motor vehicles, such as improved air quality and reduced congestion. Investment in active travel schemes also supports the government’s decarbonisation strategy by increasing the number of trips made using carbon neutral modes. The average benefit-cost ratio, weighted by scheme cost, for Active Travel Fund 4 estimated that for every £1 of investment in active travel infrastructure schemes, there would be a return £2.40 of economic, social, and environmental benefits. Behaviour change interventions funded by the Department have been estimated by our delivery partners to have a benefit cost ratio of 2.5 in 2021/22 for the Big Bike Revival and 5.5 in 2022/23 for Walk to School Outreach programmes.

M60 and M67: Denton and Reddish

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will meet the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish to discuss cleanliness standards and inspection data for the M67 and M60 in Denton and Reddish constituency.

Mr Richard Holden: I am committed to tackling the amount of litter deposited on our roads and I agree that there is more we can all do to keep the Strategic Road Network, roads and streets clear of litter, therefore I would be happy to meet with the honourable Member for Denton and Reddish to discuss how we can best tackle litter on the roads in his constituency.

Immigration Controls: Port of Dover

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much infrastructure funding was (a) requested by and (b) granted to the Port of Dover for the construction of new passport control booths since 2020.

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of infrastructure funding provided to the Port of Dover for the construction of new passport control booths since 2020 for meeting (a) current and (b) anticipated future levels of demand for passport checks.

Mr Richard Holden: In 2020, Port of Dover applied for £34m from the Port Infrastructure Fund, but were outside the scope of the scheme. Kent County Council has been provisionally awarded £45 million from the Levelling Up Fund to support additional border control booths, extra capacity in buffer zones and resequencing the order of controls at Port of Dover. The Government is in regular contact with the Port of Dover on border pressures and infrastructure.

Road Traffic

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an estimate of the number of (a) cars and (b) vans on the road in (a) 2030, (b) 2040 and (c) 2050.

Mr Richard Holden: Vehicle numbers are estimated as an intermediate step in the process of forecasting of future vehicle milage.In 2022 the Government published the National Road Traffic Projections (NRTP)1, which projects future demand for road transport under a range of scenarios. The outputs provided below correspond to the ‘core’ scenario of the NRTP. As set out in the NRTP there is significant uncertainty related to forecasts of this nature and a range of alternative futures are also feasible. These projections are estimated using DfT’s Road Carbon and Fuel Fleet (RoCaFF) model which forecasts changes in fleet composition and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dft-analytical-assurance-framework-strength-in-numbers/dft-register-of-business-critical-models-april-2021 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-road-traffic-projections

Aviation: Costs

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an estimate of the potential impact of the introduction of sustainable aviation fuel on the cost of flights in the next five years.

Jesse Norman: The Government has committed to introduce a mandate to supply sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from 2025 to help decarbonise the aviation sector in line with our Jet Zero Strategy. The Government recently launched a consultation on the future levels of the SAF mandate targets including analysis of the costs and benefits of a range of trajectories. The uncertainty around future SAF costs makes it difficult to predict exactly how much ticket prices could increase by. However, any impact is expected to be relatively small. Passing SAF costs onto passengers is ultimately a commercial decision for airlines.

Public Transport: Disability

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has provided recent guidance to public transport providers in Kingston Upon Hull North constituency on (a) accessibility and (b) permissions for passengers using electric mobility scooters.

Jesse Norman: In 2022 the Department issued Guidance to support licensing authorities with the implementation of updated laws improving disabled people’s access to taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs). The Department also consulted on updated best practice guidance for taxi and PHV licensing authorities, including recommendations on providing a more inclusive service, and the substantive guidance document will be published later in 2023. Both documents are relevant to public transport authorities and providers across England, including those in Kingston Upon Hull North. Rules on the carriage of mobility scooters vary by transport mode, and advice is provided in mode-specific guidance documents. There have been no recent major changes to such guidance for buses, taxis/PHVs or rail services.

Driverless Vehicles

Ben Everitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Law Commission’s advice to government on remote driving, when he plans to introduce a regulatory framework for self-driving on roads and other public spaces.

Jesse Norman: The Government is committed to bringing forward Future of Transport legislation when parliamentary time allows.

Aviation

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government plans to publish the findings of the consultation on aviation consumer policy reform.

Jesse Norman: The Department consulted on aviation consumer policy reform last year (January 2022), including on additional powers for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to enforce consumer rights, Alternative Dispute Resolution, and accessibility. The Department are considering the responses and will set out next steps shortly.

Airlines: County Courts

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that airlines operating in the UK meet their obligations in response to county court judgements, in the context of outstanding and unpaid county court claims.

Jesse Norman: The civil courts in England and Wales offer a number of different methods by which a creditor can enforce a judgment in their favour. These processes are designed to address different financial circumstances, and collectively they aim to make it as difficult as possible for the debtor to avoid their responsibilities. The choice of enforcement method lies entirely with the judgment creditor and it would not be appropriate for the Government to intervene in or comment on individual cases. The UK has a regulatory framework in place to protect consumers whilst travelling by air, including seeking redress through Alternative Dispute Resolution and if necessary through the courts. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as the UK’s specialist aviation regulator, is responsible for enforcing consumer laws for the collective interest of consumers and will take further action if required. The Government has been clear with industry on expectations to put consumers first and meet their legal obligations to their passengers.

Queen's Park Station

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's timetable is for (a) beginning and (b) completing work to provide step-free access at Queen's Park station.

Huw Merriman: Queen’s Park station is a constrained site and location, making accessibility works extremely challenging to implement. Network Rail have recently completed a deliverability report on the project which the Department is currently considering. We will provide an update to the hon member and other stakeholders in due course.

Motorways: Speed Limits

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the 70 miles per hour speed limit on motorways.

Mr Richard Holden: A previous Government made an initial assessment of the possibility of introducing trials of a higher limit on motorways but currently the Department has no plans to do so.

Great British Railways

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Great British Railways enterprise hubs on local (a) economies and (b) communities in those areas.

Huw Merriman: Alongside Great British Railways’ Headquarters in Derby, other towns and cities across Britain will host regional hubs, which will be empowered to take decisions in the interests of their local area and will have investment powers to benefit local communities. No decisions have been made yet on the location of these hubs.

Road Traffic Offences

Wendy Morton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2023 to Question 177803, on Road Traffic Offences: Accidents, when he expects his Department to commence its call for evidence into road traffic offences.

Mr Richard Holden: As noted in the previous answer, we are considering the publication of a Call for Evidence on motoring offences, which we expect to reflect many of the issues that have been brought to our attention and to be published in due course. While the precise content and timings are still to be confirmed, it is expected that it will include aspects of drink and drug driving, failure to stop and report and the opportunity to raise other matters.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will increase the level of funding for the fixing of potholes.

Mr Richard Holden: The Government is investing more than £5.5 billion between 2020 and 2025 into local highways maintenance. This includes the extra £200 million announced in the Spring Budget in March 2023.

Taxis: Greater Manchester

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data his Department holds on the number of Taxi and Private Hire Licences (a) refused and (b) revoked by (i) Bolton and (ii) Wigan Council.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department gathers data on the number of private hire vehicle operator licences that have been refused and revoked. This information is published on GOV.UK in the taxis, private hire vehicles and their drivers (TAXI) data set. Information about private hire vehicle operator licences can be found in the TAXI0111 table. Neither Bolton or Wigan Metropolitan Borough Councils refused or revoked a private hire vehicle operator licence between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022. The Department does not gather or hold data on the number of private hire or taxi vehicle licences that have been refused or revoked. The Department holds data on the number of refusals and revocations of taxi and private hire vehicle driver licences which have been recorded on the National Register for Revocations, Refusals and Suspensions (NR3S):  Refusals recorded on the NR3S database (April 2021-March 2022)Revocations recorded on the NR3S database (April 2021-March 2022)Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council36Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council280

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will introduce a Pot Hole Fund similar to the 2015 scheme where all funding was ring-fenced for (a) repairing and (b) prevention of potholes; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Richard Holden: The Pothole Action Fund that ran from 2016/17 to 2020/21 was allocated to eligible local highway authorities through the Section 31 grant process. Funding provided in this way is not ringfenced as set out in the Local Government Act 2003, but grant funding letters come with grant agreements which include conditions of spend that local authorities must adhere to.

Buses: Exhaust Emissions

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the impact of the  Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas scheme on West Yorkshire.

Mr Richard Holden: We are committed to supporting the introduction of 4,000 zero emission buses and achieving an all zero-emission bus fleet across the entire UK. Across the UK, an estimated 3,400 zero emission buses have been funded so far. The West Yorkshire Combined Authority received £30.3 million from the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas scheme which will support the introduction of 136 zero emission buses. We will publish the first report from the Department’s monitoring and evaluation project for the ZEBRA scheme, covering process evaluation of the pre-implementation phase of the project, in due course.

Level Crossings: Shropshire

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps with (a) Network Rail and (b) train operating companies to help reduce pedestrian safety incidents on level crossings in Shropshire.

Huw Merriman: The Department provided £34.7bn in direct funding to Network Rail to be spent in the period 2019-2024 on the operation, maintenance, and renewal of the mainline railway, including level crossings. In Shropshire, level crossings have directly benefited from funding to improve user safety, which has included the closure of 10 of the highest risk level crossings and the installation of overlay miniature stop lights at several crossings across the County, including Saltmoor, Stokeswood and Micklewood level crossings, amongst others. In implementing these measures, Network Rail has collaborated closely with lineside neighbours, local authorities, train operators and level crossing managers to identify risks, so that they can be addressed quickly, for example by installing new surfaces, clearing vegetation and improving access for users.

London Underground: Railway Signals

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will hold discussions with the Mayor of London on the potential cost of installing a new signalling system on the Piccadilly Line to increase the frequency of trains; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Merriman: Transport in London is devolved. It is for the Mayor and TfL to ensure adequate investment in transport services in London. Under the long-term settlement, agreed on 30 August 2022, Government is providing TfL with just under £1.2 billion of grant funding to support transport, including major projects, tube upgrades, Active Travel schemes and less congestion for commuters. This funding will support almost £3.6bn worth of critical infrastructure projects, matching the Mayor’s own pre-Covid capital spending plans. This funding is in addition to the Government’s commitment at the Spending Review to invest £1 billion per year until 2025 for TfL’s capital programme through Business Rates Retention.

M62: Repairs and Maintenance

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimates his Department has made of when (a) temporary speed limit and lane closures in the vicinity of junction 37 of the M62 will be removed and (b) roadworks on the bridge over the River Ouse will be completed; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Richard Holden: The 30mph speed limit over the bridge is in place due to the reduced lane widths required to accommodate the two lanes in either direction, together with the barrier to segregate the traffic. The limit is in place to ensure the safety of traffic crossing the bridge and the safety of the workforce. Replacement of the joints on the bridge is anticipated to complete in winter 2023, following which the speed limit and traffic management will be removed.

Railways: Cleaning Services

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the oral contribution by the hon. Member for Stockport during the debate on West Coast Main Line: Services on 15 December 2022, Official Report, column 1295, when the Minister plans to write to the hon. Member on the subject of railway cleaners.

Huw Merriman: Although not directly employed by Avanti West Coast, its cleaning suppliers are contracted to ensure, as a minimum, that Avanti West Coast cleaning staff receive the real living wage, or London living wage. Avanti West Coast also holds and must maintain a living wage accreditation. I will write to you shortly to address your other points raised, including on minimum pay conditions on other operators.

Public Transport: Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of late night public transportation in Shropshire.

Mr Richard Holden: Decisions on when bus services run are, in most places in England outside London, mainly a matter for the operators concerned. All Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) have engaged with their local bus operators to develop Bus Service Improvement Plans, and Enhanced Partnerships have now been introduced in most areas, including Shropshire. These allow bus operators to have a greater role in delivering improvements for passengers, working with LTAs. To support services, Shropshire County Council have been paid over £2.5m since March 2020 to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic. They also receive £512,447 every year to subsidise socially necessary bus services For rail services, it is for the relevant train operator within Shropshire to use their knowledge and expertise in order to determine appropriate provision of services and capacity across different times of day. The Department is engaged in this work when specific changes are proposed.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of maintenance by highway authorities of (a) drainage gullies and (b) other (i) channels, (ii) culverts and (iii) drains to facilitate water drainage from road carriageways; whether there are any (A) incentives for and (B) requirements on such authorities to ensure adequate maintenance; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Richard Holden: In respect of the Strategic Road Network (SRN), National Highways specifies the requirements for drainage design and maintenance in its Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB). This suggests that those responsible for the network should: o remove surface water from the carriageway as quickly as possible to provide safety and minimum nuisance to the road users;o maximise longevity of the pavement and its associated earthworks;o minimise the impact of the runoff on the receiving environment in terms of flood risk and water quality; and,o manage water flows from earthworks and structures associated with the roads. On the strategic road network, drainage work is carried out via planned renewal and improvement work funded by the Roads Investment Strategy (RIS), with performance monitored and reported to the Office for Rail and Road. On other roads, drainage gullies are the responsibility of the respective local highway authority. Local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980, to maintain the local highway network. The Act does not set out specific standards of maintenance, as it is for each local highway authority to assess which parts of its network need repair and what standards should be applied, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances.

A1 (M): Repairs and Maintenance

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects the A1M motorway northbound carriageway to be resurfaced; and what plans he has to remove potholes between junctions 1 and 2 of that motorway.

Mr Richard Holden: There is a programme of resurfacing on the A1(M) as follows:A1(M) J1 – J6A1(M) J1-J2 – Minor repairs were completed mid-April, with further enhanced inspections beginning week commencing 24 April 2023. Larger scale resurfacing will be undertaken dependent on inspection outcome.A1(M) J14-J17NH have plans to undertake some resurfacing of the A1M northbound between J15 to J16 lane 1. Works are expected to be completed around August/September 2023A1(M) J8 – J10National Highways has plans to carry out minor surface repairs before the end of April. No plans for larger-scale resurfacing until the next roads investment period, 2025-2030.A1(M) J52 – J53Reprofiling Scheme starting 05/06/2023A1(M) J60 – J61 Climbing Lanes patching scheme work starting 18/09/2023A1(M) J61 – J62Hard Shoulder patching scheme work starting 30/10/2023 This carriageway is inspected on a weekly basis and 10 potholes were repaired overnight on 18 and 19 April 2023 at J1 – J2. National Highways will be conducting enhanced inspections during the week commencing 24 April 2023.

Pedicabs: Fares

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions has he had with Transport for London on an introduction of price regulation for fares charged by pedicab drivers.

Mr Richard Holden: Some Hon. Members have expressed concerns over pedicab regulation for some time. As a result, the Government has previously committed to enable TfL to regulate London’s pedicab industry, when Parliamentary time allows.

Roads: Carbon Emissions

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the implementation of the Government's road building schemes on annual levels of carbon emissions.

Mr Richard Holden: The Government always considers the climate impact of its actions, which is why the UK has been so successful in reducing our carbon emissions to date. In the case of road building, that involves looking at embedded carbon, where DfT projects have pioneered reducing the carbon associated with construction, and carbon from vehicles operating on a new road.

Shipping: Electronic Equipment

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to accredit the use of electronic flares for maritime use.

Mr Richard Holden: The Maritime & Coastguard Agency’s (MCA) publication Marine Information Notice (MIN) 542 (M+F), last updated on 14 April 2022, gives notice of our current policy on recognised distress signals and advertised alternatives to pyrotechnic flares. We have no current plans to replace the requirements for pyrotechnic flares for non-pyrotechnic alternatives, such as Electronic Visual Distress Systems (EVDS). The MCA remains engaged with the international developments in all aspects of safety at sea through the International Maritime Organisation and will engage with and encourage any potential developments which show promise as suitable alternatives to pyrotechnic flares.

Cars: Stockport

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of households that own a car in Stockport constituency.

Mr Richard Holden: According to Census data, 73% of households in Stockport constituency in 2021 had access to one or more cars or vans.

Roads: Standards

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is able to challenge the outcomes of National Highways' grading inspections.

Mr Richard Holden: The second Road Investment Strategy (2020-25) includes a litter performance indicator which measures the percentage of the SRN where litter is graded at B or above under the Litter Code of Practice. Both the Department and the independent Highways Monitor (the Office for Rail and Road) regularly monitor performance against this litter indicator and discuss with National Highways how performance can continuously be improved. National Highways is committed to reporting annually against this indicator and the performance for 22/23 will be known in the Summer. The Department does not challenge National Highways on specific outcomes of individual inspections.

Motorways: Traffic Officers

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the progress of traffic officers in achieving target times for attending stranded drivers on smart motorways.

Mr Richard Holden: The March 2020 Smart Motorways Stocktake committed to bringing down the average response time on All Lane Running smart motorways from 17 minutes to 10 minutes. This applies to smart motorways where the spacing between places to stop in an emergency is more than one mile. National Highways met this target in September 2022 with an average response time of 9mins 49 sec and have continued to meet the 10 minute target for the last six months in a row.

Roads: Safety Measures

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding his Department has allocated to making road safety improvements intended to help prevent fatal and serious injuries in each of the last three financial years.

Mr Richard Holden: Through the Department’s Safer Roads Fund, over the last three financial years Government has invested over £83million in specific infrastructure schemes to make dangerous roads safer, therefore helping to prevent fatal and serious injuries. In addition, having a well maintained local road network greatly contributes to its safe operation. The Government is spending more than £5.5 billion between 2020 and 2025 into local highways maintenance. This is enough to fill millions of potholes, repair dozens of bridges, and resurface roads up and down the country.  Having a safe Strategic Road Network (SRN) is also extremely important. The majority of the capital investment National Highways spend to improve the SRN will help to improve safety in some capacity. Furthermore, National Highways received £140m during the second Roads Investment Strategy (RIS2) period (2020-2025) for its Safety and Congestion Designated Fund. This fund has a focus on providing specific safety improvements to the network including targeting high-risk roads, accident-cluster areas, and potential suicide-cluster areas. Over the first three years of RIS2 approximately £85 million of this funding has already been invested in improvements. Road safety is however about more than investment in specific infrastructure schemes, a variety of policy and regulatory actions are at the heart of road safety; examples being taking action on using hand-held mobile phones whilst driving, to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency ensuring that the practical driving test continues to allow for an effective assessment of the candidate’s ability to drive safely, to the Driver 2020 research project which has trialled non-legislative measures to help us understand what works best to improve learning and pre-test experiences for young drivers.

Bus Services

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many Full Time Equivalent civil servants in his Department work on bus delivery or policy.

Mr Richard Holden: As of 20 April 2023, The Department for Transport has 71.76 FTE civil servants working on bus policy, delivery of the National Bus Strategy, the Bus Open Data Digital Service and operational grant payments. In addition, there are a further 14 FTE working on the associated analytical work for buses; bringing the total FTE to 85.76.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using road surface toppings in England identical or similar in composition to those being used on the strategic road network in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Richard Holden: The specification for road surface toppings used in the whole of the UK is defined in the Manual of Contract Documents for Highway Works (MCHW) and Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB), both these documents are owned and manged by National Highways. This includes general content (used by all organisations) and national specific content for National Highways, Transport Scotland, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland’s Department for Infrastructure. National specific content is included for asphalt surfacing materials based on local requirements linked to types of road, traffic levels, environmental factors (such as weather) and noise. These local requirements are not consistent across and between the road authorities; therefore, each organisation has different ranges of options.

Cycleways

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has a target on the proportion of highways with a dedicated cycle lane by the end of this Parliament; and how many highways had a dedicated lane in 2019.

Jesse Norman: There is no such target nor is this information held by the Department.

M621

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the news story entitled All new smart motorways scrapped, published by his Department on 15 April 2023, what plans he has for the proposed conversion of the hard shoulder between junctions 2 and 3 of the M621 to an additional lane for traffic.

Mr Richard Holden: On 17th April 2023, in a Written Ministerial Statement the government confirmed that all plans for new smart motorways had been cancelled. The M621 is not a smart motorway, it is an urban motorway with a fixed 50mph speed limit over the majority of its length. The work between junctions 2 and 3 is designed to improve journeys, traffic flow and safety. The scheme is currently in construction and will be completed as planned.

Roads: Litter

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of local authorities in discharging their responsibilities under Section 89 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to keep trunk roads clear of litter.

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department has issued to National Highways to support local authorities in clearing trunk roads of litter.

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on the frequency with which trunk roads should be cleared of litter.

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help improve the collection of litter from trunk roads.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department recognises the importance of addressing the issue of litter on trunk roads, as per the responsibilities laid out in Section 89 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. We work closely with local authorities to resolve local issues as far as is practicable and support them in fulfilling their obligations under the law. This includes regular inspections and audits, as well as feedback from the public and other stakeholders. If any issues are identified, we work with the local authorities to address them, which may involve providing additional resources or training. The Department takes the issue of litter on trunk roads very seriously. We are committed to working with local authorities to keep our roads free of litter and refuse, creating a cleaner and safer environment for all. Together, we can make significant progress in addressing this issue and creating a better future for our communities.

Roads: Litter

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what criteria his Department uses to classify a trunk road as special for the purposes of holding responsibilities to keep the highway clear of litter under Section 89 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990; and whether he plans to designate any trunk roads as special for the purposes of holding responsibilities to keep the highway clear of litter under Section 89 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Mr Richard Holden: A trunk road is classified as special if are restrictions on the types of vehicles which can use them, for example a Motorway. The Government has no plans to alter this definition. Under Section 86 of the Environmental Protection Act (1990) any transfer of litter clearance responsibility would need to be requested by National Highways after consultations with relevant Local Authorities. It is important to take a proportionate, evidence-based approach which recognises the pressures on Local Authority resources and costs associated with roadside litter clearance. The Government expects National Highways to work collaboratively with Local Authorities to solve local issues and keep roadsides clear of litter and refuse as far as is practicable.

Motor Vehicles: Noise

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many road users have been fined for (a) breaking legal noise limits and (b) using illegal modified exhausts in the last five years.

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many road users have been stopped and investigated for breaking the legal noise limits or for using illegal modified exhausts in the last five years.

Mr Richard Holden: Enforcement of vehicle noise requirements on the road is the responsibility of the police, consequently the Department for Transport does not hold data on the number of fines, stops or investigations related to vehicle noise requirements.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many public charging points for electric vehicles there are in (a) Enfield North constituency and (b) the London Borough of Enfield.

Jesse Norman: Data on electric vehicle charging devices in the UK, held by the Department for Transport, are sourced from the electric vehicle charging platform Zap-Map. Charging devices not recorded on Zap-Map are not included and the true number of charging devices may be higher than recorded in these figures. The below table provides the data requested, as of 1 January 2023.  Enfield North ConstituencyLondon Borough of EnfieldPublic Charging Devices (see note 1)58209 1) Zap-Map data counts charging devices publicly available at any given point, with decommissioned charge points removed from the data supplied to us. Therefore, the number of installed public charge points in each given year is likely to be higher as this accounts for the number decommissioned and removed from the data.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of public charging points for electric vehicles due to be installed in (a) Enfield North constituency and (b) the London Borough of Enfield in each reporting year until 2028.

Jesse Norman: The Government has not set targets for chargepoint provision per region or local area because the exact number and type of chargepoints will be highly dependent on local circumstances, future charging behaviour and the future development of electric vehicle technology. Local authorities have a key role to play as they are best placed to consider local needs. We will require all local transport authorities in England to develop their own chargepoint strategies, subject to consultation. To date, the London Borough of Enfield has been awarded £72,000 to deliver 32 public chargepoints through the On Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme. So far, 23 completed chargepoints have been installed which were funded through this scheme.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many public charging points for electric vehicles there are in (a) Stockport constituency and (b) the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport.

Jesse Norman: Data on electric vehicle charging devices in the UK, held by the Department for Transport, are sourced from the electric vehicle charging platform Zap-Map. Charging devices not recorded on Zap-Map are not included and the true number of charging devices may be higher than recorded in these figures. The below table provides the data requested, as of 1 January 2023.  Stockport ConstituencyMetropolitan Borough of StockportPublic Charging Devices (see note 1)3247 1) Zap-Map data counts charging devices publicly available at any given point, with decommissioned chargepoints removed from the data supplied to us. Therefore, the number of installed public chargepoints in each given year is likely to be higher as this accounts for the number decommissioned and removed from the data.

Aircraft: Navigation

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will commission research on the (a) potential impact and (b) prevalence of interference of 5G technology on the radio bandwidth of aircraft navigation systems.

Jesse Norman: The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is aware of the concerns around 5G and is actively monitoring any potential risk of 5G interference to radio navigation aids both nationally and internationally. The risk of aircraft equipment failure remains inherently low but is under constant review. To date no UK or international reports of radio altimeter failure have been directly attributed to 5G technology. The CAA has issued a Safety Notice across the industry and continues to monitor any concerns that the 5G network could affect equipment onboard aircraft. It will keep this under review and update it to reflect UK and international developments.

Unmanned Air Vehicles: Delivery Services

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of using Beyond Visual Line of Sight uncrewed aircraft to provide supplies to rural and isolated communities.

Jesse Norman: The Government is committed to delivering the economic and social benefits of drone use to communities across the UK. This includes working across Government, industry and the regulator – the Civil Aviation Authority – to create the right conditions for BVLOS operations to proceed routinely and effectively without compromising the safety of our airspace. The newly established Future of Flight Industry Group includes representatives from commercial drone operators and local authorities to ensure that this work is taken forward alongside industry and local communities.

Motor Vehicles: Lighting

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to (a) ensure the effective regulation of headlight brightness and (b) address the issue of dangerous headlight glare on vehicles.

Mr Richard Holden: Prior to registration vehicle manufacturers must supply evidence that their vehicles comply with international road vehicle approval requirements. Provisions for vehicle headlamps define maximum and minimum intensity, light pattern and position on the vehicle. Domestic legislation also prohibits the use of headlamps that cause undue dazzle or discomfort for other road users. The Department’s engineers are involved in ongoing international activity at the United Nations and proposals to amend headlamp aiming criteria are expected to be agreed this month, together with requirements for mandatory automatic headlamp levelling.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Environment Act 2021

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to introduce secondary legislation to implement in full the commitments made by the Government on due diligence of forest risk products in the Environment Act 2021.

Trudy Harrison: The UK Government has introduced world-leading due diligence legislation through the Environment Act to help tackle illegal deforestation in UK supply chains. We ran a consultation from 3 December 2021 to 11 March 2022 to seek views on the details of regulations that will implement the Environment Act provisions, to ensure that these are designed effectively. The Government published a summary of responses to this consultation on 1 June 2022 and is committed to implementing due diligence provisions at the earliest opportunity through secondary legislation.

Wildlife

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of wilding on (a) reducing the carbon footprint, (b) the area of productive land and (c) levels of (i) badger population and (ii) TB.

Trudy Harrison: Wilding or rewilding is the restoration of ecosystems to the point where they are more regulated by natural processes. The government is supporting a number of initiatives to create wilder landscapes across England, as part of a broader approach to nature recovery. However, rewilding is not appropriate in all situations, and we must balance priorities including food production. We continue to assess how land use change, including the restoration of natural processes, can contribute to net-zero, food security and supporting the farming sector.

Climate Change

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to ensure that (a) natural flood management, (b) urban tree planting, (c) peatland restoration, (d) sustainable urban drainage and (e) other nature-based approaches to climate adaptation are a key part of the forthcoming third National Adaptation Programme.

Trudy Harrison: (a) Nature-based solutions make a positive contribution to achieving climate resilient places particularly at a community led, river catchment scale. They can support flood and coastal resilience, improve water supply and quality as well as contribute to wider climate change and sustainable development objectives. The Environment Agency’s £15 million Natural Flood Management (NFM) programme demonstrated the important role nature-based projects can have in helping to slow the flow and store flood waters. The measures in the 60 pilot projects included planting trees, creating leaky barriers, restoring peatland and restoring salt marshes. On 8 December 2022, the Environment Agency published an evaluation report on the NFM programme. Later this year the Environment Agency will update its Working with Natural Processes Evidence Directory. This will help share evidence and best practice about how to develop natural flood management projects (b) The National Adaptation Programme (NAP) covers priority risks identified by the Climate Change Committee including risks to trees and woodland carbon storage. We recognise the important role urban trees play in this, which is why we are supporting the planting of them through the Urban Tree Challenge Fund and Local Authority Treescapes Fund. The National Planning Policy Framework and Urban Tree Manual highlight the role of urban trees and the recently published local Tree & Woodland Strategy Toolkit recognises their contribution to core climate change mitigation, adaptation and biodiversity goals in Government policy. (c) Peatland restoration is already a Defra priority and we have ambitious targets to restore over 35,000 hectares of peat in England by 2025 and 280,000 hectares by 2050, as will be set out in the NAP. The England Peat Action Plan (2021) outlines what action is needed to ensure that peatlands contribute to climate adaptation, preserving their carbon store while also providing water storage, flood management functions and space for nature. (d) The third National Adaptation Pathway will set out how the water sector is mitigating against the risks presented by climate change. This includes outlining where Sustainable Urban Drainage Schemes (SuDS) represent an adaptation measure in the event of climate events, e.g increased rainfall. The Environment Agency maintains a national overview of SuDS, advising the Government on policy matters. On 10 January 2023, the Government reviewed making SuDS mandatory in new developments. The Government accepted the review’s recommendation to mandate SuDS in England through implementing Schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. SuDS use features such as ponds, rain gardens and grass to absorb the rain and tanks and pipes to slow the flow to the sewer, reducing the risk of surface water and sewer flooding. This will help limit volumes entering drainage networks which will help ease the pressure on the sewerage system and mitigate flood risk. The Government is now considering how best to implement, considering scope, threshold, and process and there will be a public consultation later this year. (e) Nature-based solutions play a key role in tackling climate change and managing its impacts. Restoring our natural habitats has a myriad of potential benefits for helping communities to adapt to climate change risks – from natural flood management to urban cooling – as well as for helping to support the resilience of ecosystems themselves to climate change. The third NAP will cover a suite of programmes that the Government is delivering to support the resilient recovery of nature, as well as to maximise their adaptive benefits, as exemplified above.

Climate Change

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will take steps to ensure that the forthcoming National Adaptation Programme includes (a) specific, (b) timebound and (c) measurable targets for enabling the UK to adapt to an average global temperature rise of two degrees Celsius.

Trudy Harrison: The third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) report will mark the beginning of a five-year implementation period. The report will include a clear set of objectives for adaptation, with policies and accompanying delivery mechanisms to meet those objectives. Progress indicators, aligned to risks and opportunities set out in our third Climate Change Risk Assessment will also be developed as part of the NAP programme and will help the programme have a more targeted and effective approach to monitoring.

Avian Influenza: Disease Control

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing compensation to businesses that can demonstrate that they have (a) been unable to trade as normal and (b) had their trading activities severely limited as a result of avian influenza restrictions.

Mark Spencer: We are aware that the current unprecedented outbreak of Avian Influenza (AI) has created challenges for poultry and egg producers. We are working with the industry to support continued business activities. In October 2022 we announced new support for the poultry industry to assist farmers and producers with the impacts of AI. This includes a change to the existing AI compensation scheme allowing us to provide swifter payments to help stem any cash flow pressures and give earlier certainty about entitlement to compensation. Any other compensation available to producers would come from the payout of private AI insurance policies and we are working with the industry to support continued access to insurance for those that require it. We have also introduced market support measures to assist businesses impacted by AI. These included:Allowing seasonal poultry producers to slaughter birds, freeze them and then sell them as defrosted products during the period 28 November to 31 December 2022.Concessions to the labelling of free-range eggs from poultry housed under AI mandatory housing measures for longer than the 16-week period for which an automatic derogation applies. Following a reduction in the risk levels, the lifting of the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone mandatory housing measures on the 18 April 2023 will come as welcome news to producers. This means that from 18 April, eggs laid by birds with access to outside range areas can return to being marketed as ‘free range’ eggs. We continue to monitor the impacts of Avian Influenza on the poultry and egg sectors.

Climate Change

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether (a) policies and (b) commitments in the forthcoming National Adaptation Programme are being developed alongside and incorporated into the forthcoming Land Use Framework.

Trudy Harrison: We are currently developing both the Land Use Framework and the Third National Adaptation Plan. The work undertaken to prepare these documents is being shared in support of our intention that the two documents will complement each other. The Land Use Framework will take account of existing policies and commitments including those included in the National Adaptation Programme, which will be important in supporting resilient landscapes.

Environment Protection: EU Law

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has taken steps to seek external peer review of her Department’s proposals for retaining, revoking or replacing retained EU law on nature protection and air and water quality to help inform the development of the associated statutory instruments.

Trudy Harrison: Defra is in the process of analysing its retained EU law (REUL) stock - including that relating to nature protection, air and water quality - and determining what should be preserved as part of domestic law, as well as REUL that should be repealed, or amended. Defra’s default approach will be to retain REUL unless there is a good reason to either repeal or reform it. This allows us to uphold environmental protections, provide certainty to businesses and stakeholders, and to apply targeted reforms tailored to meeting our needs as an independent nation outside the EU. We are working closely with other Government Departments, our Arm’s Length Bodies and the Devolved Administrations. We have not undertaken an external peer review process to date. Defra will follow the usual consultation processes adhered to by all Government Departments for statutory instruments and underpinning policy development. We also continue to welcome stakeholders’ views on Defra’s REUL available on the public dashboard.

Horticulture: Peat

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken to communicate the peat ban for the professional horticulture sector with (a) UK-based nurseries and (b) international suppliers of plants and trees that import products into the UK.

Trudy Harrison: We have conducted a formal consultation which ended on 18 March 2022. This was followed up with more detailed stakeholder engagement last autumn with over seventy representatives from the horticultural sector. The Government response to the consultation was published on 27 August 2022. The latest government position can be found at: https://deframedia.blog.gov.uk/2023/03/24/media-reporting-on-peat-ban-for-the-professional-horticulture-sector/ In recent weeks I have met with a range of stakeholders, including the Horticultural Trade Association and visited horticultural businesses where I have discussed our proposals. My officials are in regular contact with representative groups, including the National Farmers’ Union and the British Leafy Salads Association. Further meetings with stakeholders are planned in the coming months.

Land Use

Alicia Kearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the new land use framework will be published.

Trudy Harrison: As stated in Government’s response to the House of Lords Land Use Committee’s report ‘Making the most out of England’s land’, we are currently preparing a Land Use Framework for England. We announced in the Food Strategy that we would publish the Framework in 2023.

Climate Change

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the National Adaptation Programme will be updated to include new government funding commitments for investment in adaptation over the next five years.

Trudy Harrison: The third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) will be published in summer 2023 and will update on the Government’s planned actions to address risks and opportunities set out in the third Climate Change Risk Assessment. Adaptation is ‘mainstreamed’ across Government, which means that all Government spending should account for the risks posed by the impacts of climate change.

Climate Change

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what delivery mechanisms she plans to include within the National Adaptation Programme to ensure that climate adaptation commitments are adopted across Government departments.

Trudy Harrison: The third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) report will mark the beginning of a five-year implementation period. The report will include a clear set of objectives for adaptation, with policies and accompanying delivery mechanisms to meet those objectives. Progress indicators, aligned to risks and opportunities set out in our third Climate Change Risk Assessment will also be developed as part of the NAP programme and will help the programme have a more targeted and effective approach to monitoring. In addition, programme governance will include monitoring of actions and reporting as required.

Climate Change: Private Sector

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will take steps through the national adaptation programme to increase the level of (a) guidance and (b) support for private sector organisations on the use of nature-based solutions to climate change.

Trudy Harrison: The third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) will set out the whole of the Government’s planned actions to address the risks and opportunities set out in the third Climate Change Risk Assessment and will include nature-based solutions as part of the response to a range of risks. Separately, the Government is taking a range of actions to support the uptake of nature-based solutions across the public and private sector through the Green Infrastructure Framework. This sets out clear national standards providing a consistent way to assess the need for, design and delivery of good green infrastructure which supports adaptation to the effects of climate change.

Environmental Land Management Schemes: Rights of Way

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether (a) landowners and (b) land managers that participate in environmental land management schemes are required to fulfil public rights of way obligations.

Mark Spencer: There is a regulatory baseline for farming within domestic legislation, which safeguards our environment and protects the health of animals, plants and people. As part of this, landowners have a statutory duty to keep public rights of way in good working order. Our Environmental Land Management schemes require farmers and land managers to meet the regulatory requirements and pay for actions that go beyond these requirements.

Honey: Labelling

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of food labelling requirements for honey; and if she will make a statement

Mark Spencer: The Government is confident that the labelling requirements for honey are adequate. All honey on sale in England must comply with the labelling requirements set out in the Honey (England) Regulations 2015 and the general food information to consumers labelling rules. Although the Government has no immediate plans to change the rules on honey labelling, we keep all laws under review as part of our commitment to carry out post implementation reviews.  We will consider the need for further labelling measures as part of the next review of the honey regulations which is due by 2025.

Air Pollution: Pollution Control

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of (a) whether the consultation period for the revised national air quality strategy meets the criteria set out in the Government's consultation principles, and (b) the adequacy of the ten days allowed for responses to allow stakeholders to fully engage with those proposals; for what reason she has specified this consultation period; and if she will make a statement.

Rebecca Pow: Defra is committed to meeting the statutory deadline of 1st May 2023 to publish our revised Air Quality Strategy. The consultation principles are clear that consultations should last for a proportionate amount of time and are only part of the process. The document is focused on clarifying existing local authority duties rather than adding new ones. The document also reflects the feedback we have received through regular engagement we have had with local authorities and other bodies throughout the drafting process, in line with the consultation principles. We will be analysing the responses received to the consultation to ensure the Air Quality Strategy is both a useful and functional document for improving the air we breathe.

Farmers: Supermarkets

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Windsor Framework on the equitability of the trading relationship between farmers and major retailers.

Mark Spencer: The Windsor Framework benefits farmers and retailers by restoring the free flow of trade from GB to NI with a first-of-its-kind green lane that will enable goods destined for NI to move easily without burdensome customs bureaucracy; guarantees unfettered access for Northern Ireland’s businesses to the UK market on a permanent basis; and ensures Northern Irish businesses have continued access to the EU market, as they requested.

Pesticides

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the development of a national action plan for the sustainable use of pesticides will take account of the environmental principles policy statement, published by her Department on 12 May 2022.

Mark Spencer: The Environment Act 2021 created a duty for ministers to have due regard to the environmental principles policy statement when developing policy. The statement was published on 31 January 2023 and the duty will come into force on 1 November 2023. We are currently working to effectively implement the new duty, in order to put environmental considerations at the heart of policy making. We will publish the updated UK National Action Plan on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides (NAP) this year. The NAP will set out Defra’s ambition to minimise the risks and impacts of pesticides to human health and the environment, including how we intend to increase the uptake of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) across all sectors. We will have due regard to the environmental principles policy statement as we implement the new NAP.

Animals: Accidents

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to help prevent animals being (a) killed on roads or (b) left by the roadside following being killed or injured on agricultural land.

Rebecca Pow: Local authorities are responsible for managing their road networks and have a range of duties and responsibilities to meet in doing so. However, there is no specific requirement on them to prevent or reduce animal deaths on roads. Where wildlife poses a risk to drivers, for example where large animals may be in the road ahead, local authorities can erect traffic signs to warn them. A focus for this Government is to make roads safer for all users, which will in turn reduce the risk to all animals.

Pollution Control: Germany

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what role the Norwegian Meteorological Institute undertakes as part of the review of the Gothenburg Protocol.

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimated annual mean concentrations of fine particulate matter, PM2.5, in (a) 2015, (b) 2030 and (c) other years has the Norwegian Meteorological Institute shared with his Department as part of the review of the Gothenburg Protocol.

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the implications for her policies of the findings set out in the report entitled EMEP Status Report 1/2022 Transboundary particulate matter, photo-oxidants, acidifying and eutrophying components, published on 29 September 2022.

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to modelling by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute as part of the review of the Gothenburg Protocol, what estimate she has made of accumulated population exposure in the UK from fine particulate matter at (a) five, (b) six, (c) seven, (d) eight, (e) nine and (f) 10 micrograms per cubic metre in (i) 2015 and (ii) 2030.

Rebecca Pow: UK representatives attended the Eighth Joint Session of the EMEP Steering Body and Working Group on Effects meeting in September, where a summary of the EMEP status report was presented and the Review report of the Gothenburg Protocol. All of the outputs from Norwegian Meteorological Institute carried out as part of MSC-West under the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution can be found at https://www.emep.int/mscw/. We will consider the results from the reports.

Climate Change

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring quantitative assessments under the adaptation reporting power in the Climate Change Act 2008.

Trudy Harrison: The Government consultation on proposals for the fourth round of climate adaptation reporting under the Adaptation Reporting Power closed 5th April. It included consideration of guidance to support reporting organisations and whether to make reporting voluntary or mandatory. A summary of consultation responses will be available on gov.uk shortly. Consultation feedback will inform the final strategy, to be published alongside the third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) this year.

Women and Equalities

Conversion Therapy

Stephen Farry: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether the Government plans to consult with victims and survivors of abuse as part of the pre-legislative scrutiny for the proposed ban on sexual orientation and gender identity conversion practices.

Stuart Andrew: Equality Hub Ministers and officials have engaged with a wide range of stakeholders on the subject of conversion practices, including victims and survivors. This has helped to inform our approach to banning conversion practices, which will be published in a draft Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny by joint committee in this parliamentary session. Pre-legislative scrutiny will allow for in-depth analysis and challenge to test the policy and drafting. It will also give stakeholders and parliamentarians a further opportunity to input their experience and expertise and build stronger consensus ahead of introducing the legislation in Parliament.

Gender and Sexuality

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when she plans to publish her Department's report on the Variations in Sex Characteristics Call For Evidence launched on 17 January 2019.

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will make an assessment of the impact of potential changes to the definition of sex in the Equality Act 2010 on people with differences in sex development; and whether it is her Department's policy that the term biological sex refers to (a) chromosomal sex, (b) reproductive sex or (c) sex assigned at birth.

Stuart Andrew: We are considering the findings of the call for evidence with a view to publishing the report in due course.More broadly, as the Minister for Women and Equalities set out in her letter to Baroness Falkner, Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), she is concerned that the Equality Act may not be sufficiently clear in the balance it strikes between the interests of people with different protected characteristics. She regularly seeks advice from the independent equality regulator as part of her role. It is right that the Government continues to keep legislation under review, ensuring that it is effective. She has received advice from the EHRC on the Equality Act and will consider it in the usual way. No decisions on any next steps have been made.

Question

Damien Moore: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she plans to take to encourage businesses to improve (a) facilities and (b) access for people with disabilities.

Stuart Andrew: The Government is committed to improving life choices and opportunities for disabled people in their private lives, in their communities and in employment. We want everyone to live their lives free from discrimination and harassment, including disabled people.The Equality Act 2010 (the Act) protects people from being discriminated against or harassed because of a disability in the provision of services. The Act also requires service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve access to premises/buildings, provide auxiliary aids and services (such as providing information in an accessible format, provide induction loop for customers with hearing aids, special computer software or additional staff support when required), and allowing access to guide or assistance dogs, so that disabled customers have the same right to goods and services and are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled customers.This reasonable adjustment duty is an anticipatory duty. This means that those who provide goods, facilities and services to members of the public are expected to anticipate the reasonable adjustments that disabled customers may require.The Government is delivering for disabled people - recently we have supported the passage of two landmark pieces of legislation, the British Sign Language Act and the Down Syndrome Act. The Minister for Disabled People also announced on 2 December 2022 that a new Disability Action Plan will be consulted on and published in 2023. The Plan will set out the action the government will take in 2023/2024 to improve disabled people’s lives.

Conversion Therapy

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March 2023 to Question 161400 on Conversion Therapy, whether she plans to complete pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Bill before 20 July 2023.

Stuart Andrew: The Government will publish a draft Bill setting out our approach to banning conversion practices. This will go for pre-legislative scrutiny by joint committee. It is the Government's intention to complete pre-legislative scrutiny in the current parliamentary session.

Northern Ireland Office

Health Services: Northern Ireland

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to help bring about a resolution to the healthcare workers pay dispute in Northern Ireland.

Mr Steve Baker: The Government is acutely aware of the pressures facing the health service in Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State met with representatives of the Health Unions in Northern Ireland on 5 April to offer clarity on the Government’s pay offer to healthcare workers in England. As this is a devolved matter, the Secretary of State does not have the authority to negotiate on pay. A fully functioning devolved government is the best way to deliver the necessary reforms to transform healthcare. That is why the Government is doing all it can to restore the Executive as soon as possible.

Elections: Proof of Identity

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with the Electoral Commission in Northern Ireland on voter ID.

Mr Steve Baker: Electoral policy for Northern Ireland is a matter for the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.Northern Ireland Office officials meet regularly with the Electoral Commission to discuss a range of issues, including the Northern Ireland voter ID system, which has been in place, with minor amendments, since 2002.

Local Government: Elections

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what support the Government is providing to the Electoral Office in Northern Ireland to raise awareness of the local elections.

Mr Steve Baker: Raising awareness of elections is the responsibility of the Electoral Commission which runs a variety of media and social media campaigns, as well as providing resources to interested groups to inform the public about elections and encourage engagement. The Northern Ireland Office highlighted the date change of the local elections in Northern Ireland through social media channels and the UK Government continues to use social media to support the work of the Electoral Commission to raise awareness of elections in Northern Ireland.

Pupils: Mental Health

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to help the Department of Education in Northern Ireland to maintain the (a) Engage and (b) Healthy Happy Minds programme.

Mr Steve Baker: Education is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Department of Education has the responsibility for matters relating to the provision of the Engage and Healthy Happy Minds programmes in Northern Ireland. In the absence of functioning devolved institutions, Northern Ireland Office officials are working with their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Department of Finance to set the Northern Ireland budget for the 2023-24 financial year. The right people to make these decisions are locally elected politicians in a fully functioning Northern Ireland Executive and Northern Ireland Assembly. In the absence of these, it will be for the relevant Northern Ireland department, in this case the Department of Education, to manage its funding, including provision for the Engage and Health Happy Minds programmes.

Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission

Voting Rights: British Nationals Abroad

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether the Committee has had recent discussions with the Electoral Commission on when secondary legislation on overseas voting would need to be introduced to Parliament to ensure that all overseas voters can properly register and vote.

Cat Smith: The Speaker's Committee has not has discussions with the Electoral Commission on the matter referred to.The Commission has consistently highlighted to the UK Government that any changes to legislation should be in place six months before being implemented or complied with, so that Electoral Registration Officers, Returning Officers and voters have enough time to prepare.The Commission is working to develop guidance for electoral adminstrators to help them understand and deliver the forthcoming changes to the overseas voter franchise. It will also expand its public awareness work targeting the overseas voter audience in the lead-up to UK parliamentary elections.